


Rolling Thunder

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Angst, Fluff, InstaObsession, Lemons of the not too graphic kind, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22028749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: Hiiro is coerced by his college buddies to take a reluctant holiday to the beautiful islands of Hawaii, but soon finds himself hopelessly infatuated by a pair of fiery, violet eyes.
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, 3x4, 5x13 - Relationship, 5xOCs
Kudos: 11





	Rolling Thunder

AU/College Break/Romantic Adventure  
1x2, 3x4, 5x uh… anyone that’ll lie down? lol, 5x13  
Hmm warnings, just about everything? lol ok, ok umm  
Angst, Fluff, Lemons of the not too graphic kind, Insta-Obsession ^-^, Mention of casual sex (Fei-baby’s havin’ a good time ^_^) Ssssap *pulls fingers free of sticky keyboard*

Summary: Hiiro is coerced by his college buddies to take a reluctant holiday to the beautiful islands of Hawaii, but soon finds himself hopelessly infatuated by a pair of fiery, violet eyes. 

It was a pointless endeavor, he knew that even before he agreed to the ridiculous notion of using their winter break to feign a business trip and snag a free Hawaiian vacation. Sure, it was fine for Wufei; all he had to do was tell his prominent family that he had plans to meet with the brass on Lanai and they’d give him a blank check, but Hiiro was working his way through school on scholarships and couldn’t afford to waste funds. Trowa wasn’t in any better shape having barely managed to pay this year’s tuition with what he could make performing with his sister during the summer break at the circus, hence the ‘business’ trip that required them to stay at one of Lanai’s most prominent resorts. 

Wufei, having majored in pre-law and business, came up with the brilliant idea that they could write the trip off by setting up meetings with perspective partners during their stay, but it was obvious to Hiiro his interest was exclusively in the sort of partner that required satin sheets and a key to his suite. All Hiiro wanted to do was relax and get a head start on next semester, but it was Wufei’s house, a free ride gifted to the prodigal son and future heir to the Chang Dynasty, that he generously shared. It would have been seriously bad form to deny him the pleasure of their company after all he had done, so Hiiro bucked up, packed an overnight bag and tried to make the best of the situation. Trowa, on the other hand, was sporting a pair of Bermuda shorts that seemed to have been around since the sixties, a pair of cheap, dark sunglasses and a suspicious, tube shaped bulge in his back pocket that made Hiiro wish he’d booked a room at a different hotel. 

The flight into Hawaii was long and uneventful enough that Hiiro fell into a light slumber. His mind prepared to click off the first leg of his journey, putting him one step closer to returning home when he heard the announcement of their imminent arrival and opened his eyes. Other passengers, Wufei and Trowa included, were shifting their belongings and stretching to peer out of windows in the hope of catching a glimpse of the famous islands below. Hiiro glanced out his window and had to admit the view was quite spectacular. The land was lush and green, the beaches that were quickly becoming more visible as they descended sparkled reverently where they kissed the deep ocean waves. It certainly wasn’t like the mainland; the water was much darker, deeper, richer. His eyes moved from the shoreline back over the expanse of land where mountain peaks could be seen in the distance. No; not just mountains, volcano’s and a number of them quite active. The sight intrigued him, sending a small thrill down his spine. This was a place of dangerous beauty filled with wondrous contrasts like that of the molten rock that bubbled in those deadly peaks and the life giving spirit of the sea. It was beautiful but in no way aided any of them toward their goals. Hiiro turned his attention back to the mundane task of preparing to land. 

“Aloha.” 

Wufei grinned when the lovely, young girl dressed in a traditional hula skirt and bikini top draped a handful of brightly colored leis around his neck, her brown cheeks warming when he leaned forward and enthusiastically returned the double kiss she had placed on his cheeks. Trowa accepted his attendant’s offering with all the debonair style of any man utterly devoid of any romantic notion toward the feminine sex, leaving Hiiro to politely decline without seeming hopelessly rude. The welcome was premature anyway, as they still had to board a smaller island hopper to reach their final destination. Lanai wasn’t anywhere near the largest or most popular island, but it held certain attributes that made it the best choice for the three young men considering the cover for their trip. Wufei’s father had an old college buddy who lived on the west shore and had done very well for himself, building his practice. It took less than a call from Chang senior to set up a meeting with him, validating his presence. However, the island also offered a great deal to Trowa and Hiiro. 

Having been born just about as far from the ocean as possible was, in Trowa’s eyes, the worse possible scenario. All his life he had longed for the sea which was why he had worked so hard to get into the Steinhart Institute. He met Hiiro after admission in his first year, having chosen also to major in oceanography. However, whereas Hiiro’s interest lay in the seemingly infinite expanse of the undersea world, Trowa’s true interest was above the deep blue water where the wind played with the surface of the sea, the tide and pull of the moon creating great swells that lapped at the land and beckoned to him. Trowa was there for the waves, a surfer at heart and very much interested in competing in the world class competition that was to be held during their week long stay. Hiiro had made an appointment with the mediator of the Colonial Oceanographic Institute in the hope of actually turning this lame brained scheme into something productive. 

The landing on Lanai was much quieter and the small plane they had arrived in was ignored for the most part save two attendants who quickly unloaded their luggage and then disappeared. A short cab ride took them into the interior where they got their first look at everyday life in the islands. It didn’t seem all that different other than the fact that Wufei was practically hanging out the window drooling at anything in a bikini top. The population of which multiplied, much to their raven haired companion’s delight, the closer they got to the resort which was located right on the coast. Koele International Suites offered all the amenities including its ocean view, private beaches and Olympic sized swimming pool. Wufei had booked them a large suite, assuring his friends the exuberant amount paid for the room would be fully recovered on next year’s tax return. Hiiro had checked into this claim thoroughly before allowing his over enthusiastic comrade to foot the bill, but all seemed in order so he was forced to relent. 

He had to admit the resort was elegant with a high, vaulted ceiling in a spacious lobby that seemed grossly elaborate considering the minimal amount of people present. It was the off season though, so it stood to reason the place wouldn’t be overrun with guests. Almost anyone who would be attending the surfing contest wouldn’t have been able to afford a plush hotel, so they were spared the huddled tourist crowd. Check in went smoothly and Hiiro was content with the fact that they had separate rooms in their suite. When he thought of the price that was being paid for the rooms even in the off season it seemed only fair. He had taken only enough time to claim his room, laying his duffel on the bed, before Wufei appeared in the doorway wearing a black and tan Speedo and a wide grin. 

“Time to hit the beach,” he grinned, draping one of the hotel towels over his golden shoulder. 

Hiiro paused momentarily, gazing at the image he presented. Golden skin accentuated by black eyes and raven hair, a slim but powerful build and the evidence of daily workouts carved into his torso. 

“Hungry?” Wufei smirked. 

Hiiro felt the heat rise to his cheeks, but didn’t bother to hide it when he turned back to his pack and simply replied, “Tramp.”

“You wish,” Wufei chuckled. 

“That would be Trowa.”

“He’s not my type,” their tall companion snickered, breezing by the door in his loud shorts, his chest bare and a towel in his hand. 

“Only because I won’t give it up,” Wufei grinned, but the smirk died a horrible death when Trowa’s amused tone inquired…

“Is that an offer?”

“In your dreams,” Wufei snorted derisively, yelping when the back of his suit was snapped and Trowa replied…

“That can be arranged.”

“Not in this lifetime,” Wufei grumbled, watching warily over his shoulder while Trowa breezed out the front door. “You coming?” he asked, turning back to his sullen, Japanese friend. 

“I’ll be down in a bit,” Hiiro promised. “I want to unpack and have a look around.”

Wufei sighed, but relented knowing Hiiro’s being there was a miracle in itself. He knew better than to push too hard, so he smiled and followed Trowa down the hall. Hiiro breathed his first clear breath since leaving the mainland, dropping onto the bed for a moment’s reprieve. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Wufei’s efforts; he knew he was antisocial and reclusive, but no matter how hard he tried he simply couldn’t see any of this as useful. He had his goals and they were enough. All this talk of sowing his oats and having fun just seemed like such a waste of time. But, he was there and regardless of how much time and energy his friends were willing to waste he intended to make the most of it. Twenty minutes later he stepped into the elevator, having unpacked and read over the information pamphlets explaining the resort’s amenities. Happily, there was a health club located on the premises that sounded like a very good place to relieve some stress, but when the elevator doors opened on the ground floor he was suddenly sideswiped by a fast moving custodian cart that nearly took off his big toe. 

“Oh, man! Sorry,” someone said, startling him as it was not the voice of a young maid as he had expected. “I didn’t hit you did I?” 

No, that was definitely not the voice of a young woman, nor was it coming from anything that remotely resembled a maid. Hiiro stood staring breathlessly at the wet dream that smiled concernedly before him. Never in his wildest fantasies had he ever dared believe such a creature existed. Those eyes… 

“Sir?”

“Hm?” My god, that face. 

“Are you okay?” the young man asked cautiously, carefully looking him over. “I didn’t think I hit you. I’m really sorry…”

“You didn’t.” Merciful heaven, was this person actually real? 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” the custodian asked, looking back as if to assess if he should take further action and Hiiro almost groaned out loud when he got a look at the thick rope of glistening, chestnut braid trailing down his back. 

“Duo? Is anything wrong?” a man in a tweed jacket and way too much hair oil asked when he approached. 

“Sorry, Mr. Aoli. I guess I was…”

“Everything’s fine,” Hiiro cut in, smiling warmly in spite of his hammering heart. “Duo?” he repeated the name, loving the way it tingled on his tongue while the beautiful young man smiled a small confirmation, “was just helping me locate the gym.”

“I’d be happy to show you,” Aoli smiled, looking down his rather pointed nose at Duo. “Right this way.”

“Have a nice day.”

Hiiro paused to glance back at the elevator, delighting in the young man’s smile before the doors slid shut. 

“How are you enjoying your stay?” Aoli asked, walking at a brisk pace. 

“Your staff is very…efficient.” Hiiro commented, glancing back at the elevator doors again. 

“Thank you,” he smiled smugly. “We do hire the best.”

“I’ve never seen a male custodian before.”

Aoli shifted uncomfortably. “He’s not, actually,” he explained. “One of our maids just had a baby so we’re a little short handed. I apologize for the inconvenience…”

“Hardly,” Hiiro smiled, stopping in front of the glass doors that led to the health club. “I find your open minded solution commendable. You’re lucky to have such a versatile employee.”

“He has his uses,” Aoli smiled, sending a dark tremor down Hiiro’s spine. Here was a prime example of why he chose an antisocialist's life.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, leaving to continue his quest for stress relief, but two hours, four exercise machines and ten miles later he had to admit the workout wasn’t helping. 

Not after having met such a perfectly sublime individual. It was odd, but until the moment he’d looked into Duo’s incredible blue/violet eyes he actually believed anyone that beautiful couldn’t possibly exist. They were the creations of trick photography and creative airbrushing, images found on the covers of magazines, but not real people. Duo had changed his mind instantly about that philosophy, he was quite simply drop dead gorgeous and as much as Hiiro hated to admit it, most probably as straight as they come. 

He sighed hoping Wufei and Trowa didn’t get wind of this or he’d never hear the end of it. So far he’d managed to remain carefully neutral, making it nearly impossible for them to meddle and attempt to set him up with someone. However, if either of them got a look at his eyes when Duo was around, the cat would be out of the bag. There was no way he’d be able to hide that sort of attraction. It made him wonder if Duo had picked up on it already, if he’d offended him with his hungry gaze. For a short while he’d allowed the fantasy that perhaps this trip had conjured up something of interest after all, but after thinking it over Duo’s presence seemed all the more reason not to be there. 

He was once again thankful the resort wasn’t anymore crowded while he made his way outside toward the beach and his friends. Several of the young ladies lounging by the pool took notice of him, making him feel uncomfortable in the bright sunshine. They had arrived mid-morning and the sun was high overhead, reminding him that their breakfast had consisted of a snack on the plane. It didn’t take long to find Trowa as even on this foreign shore he was easily the tallest person riding the waves. Hiiro smiled while he watched his graceful friend skitter along the ocean’s surface, knowing full well the elation he must have been feeling considering the waves were quite a bit larger than he was used to. He seemed to have mastered them with little trouble however, and Hiiro watched his acrobatics until a loud squeal came from down the beach. He turned his head and sighed at the sight of Wufei in the company of three young women. Two blondes and a brunette laughed and squealed again when he playfully propped one of the lighter haired ladies on his shoulder and tried to goose another. 

“Hiiro!” 

He’d been spotted. Damn. 

“Hey!” Wufei grinned, smoothly depositing his curvaceous burden on the sand while he and his new friends scampered closer. “Where’s your suit?’ he inquired, knowing full well Hiiro had no interest in frolicking in the sand. 

“I’m going to get some lunch,” Hiiro informed him, turning his gaze back to where Trowa was catching a nice tunnel. 

“Sounds good,” Wufei smiled, slipping an arm around the second blonde’s waist. “This is Kaley, Marsha and Brit,” he introduced, tucking Brit, the brunette, under the other arm while he spoke. 

Hiiro practiced good manners, turning his attention back to the group only to shiver inwardly at the hopefulness in their eyes. Didn’t these women have anything better to do? “Hiiro,” he nodded, leaving their eyes shadowed with dark curiosity when he turned back to watch Trowa pull himself free of the surf and jog toward them with his board in hand. 

“This place is incredible!” he grinned while his emerald eyes shimmered with the excitement of a wondrous new discovery. 

“You looked great out there,” Hiiro smiled. 

“Thanks,” Trowa replied, grateful for his support. He spent as much time as possible surfing back home, but this was the first time he’d gotten a chance at some world class waves. He had also never competed before, a fact Hiiro was well aware of and showed in his open support. 

“We’re going to get some lunch,” Wufei smiled, gathering his towel from the sand. 

“Who’s your friend?” Marsha, the darker of the two blondes asked, smiling openly at their tall companion, but Trowa’s gaze had wandered back out to sea. 

“This is Trowa,” Wufei replied playfully, wrapping her up in his towel. “But he’s a waste of time.” 

“Oh?” she giggled, managing to bump into the object of their conversation. 

“Unless you have a brother you want to set up,” Wufei laughed, feigning a retreat when the other two girls teamed up on him. 

Marsha joined in the game, but glanced back at Trowa, whose eyes were still steadfastly fixed on the sea. Hiiro chuckled, shaking his head and wondering how far she would have to go before she realized it was a lost cause. Not only was Trowa the epitome of homosexuality, but the way he was staring at the water revealed his ultimate fascination. 

“That good, huh?” Hiiro grinned, turning his eyes to gaze where Trowa’s were fixed, but he didn’t appear to hear him. 

Hiiro’s brow creased while he took in the intensity of his attention. Curious, he followed his gaze and felt a wide smile spread over his lips when it became apparent it wasn’t merely the waves that had him so transfixed. He didn’t know who the blond guy on the long board was, but from the way Trowa was devouring him with his gaze he was in for a long week. It wasn’t often the tall athlete showed an interest in someone, but when he did he was hound doggish in his persistence. Hiiro chuckled hoping the guy was open minded and clapped Trowa on the shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. 

“Let’s get something to eat.”

Wufei insisted that the girls join them at the poolside bar and grill. Their table was al fresco with a good view of the pool, beach and western wing of the hotel where their rooms were located. Hiiro’s mind wandered up the floors, wondering where Duo might be and which room he might be cleaning while Wufei pumped their guests for information on the local scene and flirted shamelessly. Marsha didn’t seem to have gotten the message and made sure she was seated next to Trowa, who used every trick in the book to make it impossible for her to get too close. Wufei tried to make up for his lack of interest and Hiiro’s utterly nonexistent presence, but he was merely one man so there soon came a moment when the three girls simply overpowered him. 

“Is it hard?”

“Beg pardon?” Trowa inquired, pausing in mid bite to stare at her. 

“Surfing,” Marsha smiled playfully. 

“Not for me,” he informed her, tucking the bit of tomato into his mouth. 

“Trowa was born with a board under his ass,” Wufei laughed. 

“You go to the same school, right?” Brit asked, sipping her passion pink, umbrella topped, daiquiri. 

“Are you studying law also?” Marsha inquired, brightening. 

Trowa snorted almost blowing soda out his nose. “No,” was his amused reply. 

“What about you?” Kaley asked, smiling shyly at Hiiro. 

“I have no interest in law,” he explained evenly, turning his attention back to the many layers of hotel where Duo was undoubtedly busily stripping someone’s sheets. 

“Actually,” Wufei interjected with quiet excitement. “He’s the son of a mafia king in Chicago,” he said, indicating Trowa who chuckled around his carrot. “And he’s an international spy,” he went on but Hiiro chose to simply ignore his antics. “That’s why they need me,” Wufei grinned at the amused expressions on the girl’s faces. “Someone has to keep them out of trouble.”

“You’re a pillar of strength,” Brit teased, poking him in the ribs. 

“That has yet to be seen,” Wufei grinned, retaliating by slipping a piece of ice down the back of her shorts. 

They were giggling while Kaley aided her friend in stopping Wufei from going in after it when Trowa suddenly choked and spit half his soda all over his plate, but his emerald eyes never left the entryway to the cafe. 

“Trowa?!” Hiiro laughed concernedly, patting him on the back, but he was suddenly in motion as his hand snagged his shirt off the back of his chair while he moved fluidly around Wufei and quickly extracted himself. He was halfway to the stairs that led down to the pool before they saw what had so urgently called him away. 

Hiiro snickered softly, wondering how the blond guy was going to receive his over zealous friend, but when Trowa skidded up in front of him and his friend he smiled as bright as the sun. Hiiro watched while Trowa introduced himself and nodded politely when the blond looked toward them, indicating Trowa had claimed them as his companions and the open delight on the stranger’s face showed promise for Trowa’s possible success, but brought a shadow to Hiiro’s heart. He couldn’t help but envy his bold determination and as Trowa moved off to join the blond and his friend, his gaze drifted back to the towering hotel that housed the single most fascinating creature he’d ever chanced to meet. A short while later Trowa and his new friend returned with fresh towels and exciting news. 

“This is Quatre,” he smiled, taking advantage of the moment to lay a supportive hand on his elbow and Hiiro smiled seeing the newcomer didn’t seem to mind. “He’s here for the competition, too.” 

“Oh?” Wufei smiled, leaning closer to Brit while he tucked a french-fry in his mouth. “Do you live around here?”

“No,” Quatre replied a bit too happily. “We just follow the waves.”

“He’s going to show me where to register,” Trowa informed them. 

“Are you coming back?” Wufei smirked, flashing Marsha a sympathetic glance. 

“I don’t know,” Trowa mused, turning to Quatre. “Do you want to catch some waves?”

“Sure!” he chirped. 

“Great,” Trowa smiled, daring to touch the small of his back when they turned to leave. 

“I’ll lay you ten to one we don’t see him again before tomorrow,” Wufei chuckled. 

“No deal,” Hiiro grinned, watching Trowa find anther reason to touch Quatre when he opened the gate for them to leave the pool area. 

“They’ll miss all the fun,” Marsha sighed. 

“Doubtful,” Wufei smirked. 

“But the luau’s tonight,” Kaley argued. 

“Luau?” Hiiro repeated, uncertain if he was up for such an event. 

“They have one once a week,” she explained. “There’s a feast and a show and a big bonfire on the beach,” she smiled excitedly. 

A party. 

“Looks like we got here just in time,” Wufei smiled casually, slipping his arm over the back of Brit’s chair. “You are coming…right?” he asked, eyeing his quiet friend intently. Hiiro turned to gaze up into the hotel again and wondered if Duo would be participating in this luau. Did he live in the hotel? Did his ‘many uses’ include building bonfires or serving drinks? “Hiiro?” Wufei inquired, clearly unhappy with his silence, but his face went instantly blank when Hiiro turned to him and smiled. 

“Sounds like fun.”

For a moment there was no reaction, Wufei simply stared in wide-eyed wonder at his smirking friend, then slowly his mouth spread in a wide, happy grin. “Well, all right!”

The girls excused themselves after lunch, giddily heading upstairs to shower and retrieve their charge cards for an afternoon of shopping leaving Wufei with a clean slate he quickly turned over when he headed for the pool and a group of lovely co-eds. Having introduced himself to the young ladies, he was preparing to weed out any who might offer a bit of fun when four out of five of them suddenly gasped and one dropped the towel in her hand while jaws fell and eyes widened. A quick glance over his shoulder brought a large grin to his face when it confirmed the source of their astonishment. 

“Hey! Hiiro!” he shouted, smiling wider at the hunger in the cumulative gaze while his Japanese friend finished pulling his shirt over his head. “Do the jackknife!” 

Hiiro shook his head and reached for the button of his pants to remove them revealing small but loose fitting swim trunks beneath and Wufei chuckled and shook his head upon hearing a small gasp from the girl who had dropped her towel. Hiiro simply had no idea how attractive he was. It was a bit disappointing when he simply dove into the deep end of the pool, but Wufei’s melancholy lasted only a moment when his gaze flicked upward for no apparent reason and caught sight of a beautiful face with a long braid studying the surface of the water from a balcony. When Hiiro appeared above the water again the person shifted and retreated back inside the room, but not before Wufei grinned and made a note of that long braid. 

Hiiro swam for a time, simply enjoying the strong rays of the sun. He had always been drawn to the heavy contrasts of water and sky. How cool the glistening liquid was on his back was measured in essence by how warm the sun was on his chest while he floated lazily in the giant pool. Distant voices drifted along the water’s surface, ticking his ears, the sounding vibrations of poolside laugher coming amusedly from Wufei’s direction and infinite expanse of the sky reminding him how very small and insignificant one tiny human truly was, then suddenly there was a rapid pounding that creased his brow, but before he could raise his head and assess it, someone let loose a battle cry and hit the water with resounding fury. Hiiro sputtered, shaking his thick, wet hair from his eyes but all he could see was a tangle of limbs and Wufei’s new group of friends giggling excitedly at the edge of the pool. A moment later the water broke and a hand shot upwards to snag the closest maid and drag her into the pool squealing at the top of her lungs while the others scattered, half of them hiding behind Wufei’s jubilant protection while the three already in the pool splashed each other and laughed. 

Hiiro blinked and cautiously made his way toward the edge and away from the insanity, but the moment his hand touched the ladder he froze upon seeing the evidence of a long, chestnut braid swirling around in the mix. He had only a moment to consider his options before Duo suddenly tossed one of the giggling girls at him shouting…

“Catch!”

He had no choice but to obey as the squealing mass of female was falling right into his arms, but once she was safe he had absolutely no idea what to do with her so he simply hung there and stared. 

“Sorry,” Duo chuckled, coming over to relieve him of his curvaceous burden. “Guess I got carried away. You okay, Beth?”

“You’re such an idiot,” she laughed, trying to dunk him, but he managed to duck out of the way making her miss and tumble into the water behind him. 

“Did you enjoy your workout?” Duo asked through dripping wet bangs and a smile brighter than the afternoon sky. 

Confronted with this vision Hiiro’s mind scampered away leaving him with but one reply. “What?”

“You found the gym alright didn’t you?”

The gym. “Oh, right,” he nodded. “It’s very well…equipped.” Damn, he looked good enough to eat. 

“So you fit right in,” Duo grinned. 

Hiiro’s mind went completely blank for half a second too long as Duo suddenly squeaked and disappeared beneath the water before he could formulate a reply. His heart raced while his mind supplied a multitude of meanings for the comment while he watched the girls attempt to drown the braided youth in vain. 

“This is going to be so much fun,” Wufei grinned, offering Hiiro a hand up the ladder. Once extracted and with towel in hand there was nothing to keep his eyes from the pool where Duo was tossing another of the young ladies into the deep end. “I bet he’s from the mainland,” Wufei laughed. 

“He works here,” Hiiro revealed. 

Wufei’s left brow rose slightly. “You know him?”

“We bumped into each other earlier.” Hiiro’s eyes followed Duo while he wrestled his way free of the girls in the pool only to be mobbed by the ones that remained on the deck. 

Several had been tossed into the water before Wufei slapped Hiiro on the shoulder and announced, “He’s incredible.”

Hiiro’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, but he managed to school his features to mild shock. “Since when are you into guys?” he grumbled. 

“Better now than never,” Wufei grinned, raking hungry eyes over the frolicking guy with the long, braided hair. Hiiro’s chest tightened in spite of the fact that Wufei had never shown the slightest interest in men before. He had to be joking, but his stomach still did a flip flop when he took off to join in the fun. 

It became apparent that Duo had to be on break or his lunch hour when shortly afterward he suddenly disappeared, leaving Wufei with a pool full of giddy babes in high spirits and a sappy grin on his face, but he was unable to maintain the jubilation in his absence. Hiiro watched while the pool area slowly stilled, quieting to a more normal activity level, and wondered why the world seemed so much darker without Duo around. He laid his head back, closing his eyes against the bright sky and let visions of his beautiful face dance in his mind. He certainly had a lot of energy, and his boss appeared to value his skills. Hiiro sighed, recalling how every female in sight had come running the moment Duo arrived, reminding himself that he had little chance against such odds.

“Do you think Trowa would loan me a tube of lube?” Wufei laughed, plopping down in the chair beside him. 

Hiiro scowled, but covered it with his forearm. “Won’t Brit get jealous?”

“Probably turn her on,” Wufei chortled. “Marsha hasn’t stopped talking about Trowa since she figured out he’s gay.”

Hiiro peeked up at him. “You’re flirting with Duo to catch babes?”

“Duo?” Wufei grinned in highly amused inquiry. 

Hiiro felt his face warm while he ducked back under his arm. “I heard the hotel manager use his name.”

“Fair enough,” he nodded, kicking back in the lounge. “But you know I don’t need gimmicks to get girls.” 

“So you’re actually going to try and jump the fence?” Hiiro asked, peeking out again. 

“You have to admit,” Wufei grinned. “He’s defiantly hot enough to give it a try.” 

He was hot enough to melt the Malaspina Glacier, but that wasn’t the point. “That doesn’t mean he’s willing.”

“He’s willing.”

Hiiro’s head popped out with interest. “Why do you say that?”

“Because none of those girls have ever so much as gotten his phone number,” Wufei grinned triumphantly. 

Hiiro sat up. “Really?” It still didn’t mean anything, but…

“Yep. And Lisa and Mel work here part time during peak season. Actually, Mel seems quite distraught over it.”

“Still doesn’t mean he’s into guys,” Hiiro reasoned trying to sooth his excited heart. “Maybe he just has a steady girl or something.”

“I’ll let you know,” Wufei smiled, retrieving his towel. 

“Where are you going?” Hiiro asked, not liking the expression in his eyes. 

“We have a date,” he chuckled, relishing the shock on Hiiro’s face. 

“What?!” Hiiro gasped, desperate to figure out when this had come about. 

“Kami said he gives karate classes in the afternoon,” Wufei informed him as he walked away. 

Hiiro remembered to breathe and resisted tossing the towel at the back of his head. The urge to dash ahead of him and preempt any date making that might actually come about rose in his chest, but he maintained a respectable grace when he gathered his things and followed in his footsteps. 

Having come from families that valued the benefits of physical and mental strength, he and Wufei had studied martial arts from a young age, so they hardly needed lessons, but at the very least he’d get to see Duo again. It was intriguing to learn of his interest in something that was such a daily part of his own life and he wondered what his skill level might be until they reached the makeshift dojo. Wufei was standing in the door smiling amusedly when Hiiro arrived, but all he could do was stare when he saw Duo doing something that looked a lot like dancing. The bouncy moves contained nothing of the fine discipline and mental control that was an intricate part of the art, but the class was having a blast trying to keep up with him. 

“Wufei!” one of the girls that had been at the pool earlier cried, dashing over to nab him by the arm and drag him into her line. 

He acquiesced happily laughing with everyone else while Duo did a hop, skip and jump thing that made them all gasp and laugh while they tried to mimic it. Well, it wasn’t martial arts, but it was most pleasing to watch so Hiiro leaned against the wall to soak up the view of Duo moving around in a black tank and loose white trousers. After a few minutes his heart skipped a beat when Duo suddenly broke away from where he was pairing the class off and appeared before him. 

“Don’t be shy,” he smiled. “It’s not hard.”

“It’s not karate either,” Hiiro chuckled, regretting the observation the moment Duo’s smile faltered. 

“Guess you’re onto me, huh?” Duo laughed; the sound of it merry while it tinkled around in Hiiro’s mind. “Do you practice?” 

The question caught him off guard as his eyes were demanding to get a closer look at how those pants hung on Duo’s slim hips, but he managed a shrug. 

“Care to give us a demonstration?” 

“Yeah! Come on!” several of the younger patrons, mostly girls, cried in unison, startling Hiiro out of his hormonally induced daze, but there seemed to be no out at that point. 

“I’ll need a partner,” he reasoned, following Duo to the front of the room. 

“You can have me.”

There was a cumulative chuckle when Hiiro stumbled on the edge of the mat, but it gave him a good reason to look down so Duo didn’t see the flush on his face while he gathered his wayward thoughts. Had he heard that correctly or was his libido altering Duo’s speech?

“How do you want me?” Duo asked innocently, standing before him on the mat with a dozen people watching and Hiiro swallowed his first response hard enough to hear in the back row. 

“Why don’t you do some basic self defense?”

Bless that woman and all her children. “All right,” Hiiro nodded, feeling anything but calm while he worked out the position necessary for the first demonstration. Nervously he looked into Duo’s happy eyes. “I’ll be the victim.” 

“Cool,” Duo smiled. “That means I get to have my wicked way with you if I win,” he teased, making the class laugh out loud and Hiiro’s blood pressure hit the roof. 

He swallowed again and presented his back, desperately trying to keep his heart rate in check. “Try to grab me from behind,” he instructed, forcing his breathing to remain steady while anticipation gripped his gut. 

“Like this?” Duo’s sweet voice inquired while his arms slipped lazily around Hiiro’s neck, his body, so lean and firm, pressing gently along his back and suddenly Hiiro felt very dizzy. 

“Yes,” slipped from his lips on the softest of sighs before he suddenly remembered where and what he was doing and amended, “No! I mean…you have to attack me.” Damn it! Where was his head?!

“All right,” Duo chuckled, stepping back. “Just don’t sue the hotel if you get hurt.”

The comment woke Hiiro’s ego, giving him a sharp enough edge that when Duo came for him he was able to execute the classic response. However, the move was grossly inadequate and he was suddenly flat on his back with Duo between his thighs. 

“Try harder,” he grinned, moving quickly away to offer him a hand up. 

Hiiro blinked, reassessing Duo’s skill level and snapped to his feet on his own. The room gasped, appropriately impressed and Duo’s grin spread to dangerous proportions. Hiiro smiled. It took nothing more than a slight flick of his fingers to encourage Duo to attack him again, but this time he was better prepared. The first attack was blocked with a speed and precision gained only through a lifetime of dedication, but again it proved less than effective against his lithe partner. Duo was using moves he’d never seen before, gaining the upper hand and landing Hiiro on his back once more. In the third round Hiiro considered losing intentionally just so he could feel his beautiful opponent between his legs again, but his honor refused to loose a third time in front of Wufei so he pulled out the stops and landed himself on top of Duo instead. Looking down at the utterly resplendent vision of Duo’s flushed, shimmering smile, his body warm and relaxed beneath him, legs spread deliciously, hips tilted just so was such a thrill it was far too late for an efficient response when Duo suddenly bucked, reversing their positions and effectively pinned him to the floor. 

“Is this self defense or mating games?” one of the women laughed. 

That seemed like a viable question considering how Duo was smiling at him. 

“So, basically,” another girl chimed in. “Make sure your attacker doesn’t know karate?” 

The room giggled at Hiiro’s expense again while Duo rose and helped him up. Wufei was claimed when the group broke up, agreeing to accompany his new friend and her friends to go meet up with their friends down the beach somewhere leaving Hiiro to piddle about until everyone but he and Duo had left. He watched while he gathered his things, a towel and the boom box that had been playing music during the lesson while trying to pluck up his nerve. He still hadn’t thought of a single thing to say when Duo finally turned toward the door with his gear in hand and smiled. 

“Are you enjoying your stay?” Duo asked, walking with sinful fluidity across the floor. 

Hiiro swallowed again and mentally lashed the hungry beast that growled inside him. “It’s been…interesting.”

“You’re here for the week, right?”

He nodded, forcing his eyes to remain on Duo’s face. 

“Well, you’ve come at good time,” Duo told him, draping his towel over his shoulder. “There’s a good schedule this week.” Damn it, he should say something, but what? Duo had paused as if awaiting it, but he couldn’t think of a damn thing to say that wouldn’t sound utterly stupid. “Well,” he sighed, dimming slightly. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Wait,” Hiiro gasped, catching his arm before he could slip by. Duo turned expectantly, the curiosity in his eyes giving Hiiro the courage to see his impulse through. “Do you eat?”

“What?” Duo laughed, retrieving his arm. 

Hiiro grimaced, wondering where his good sense had gone and tried again. “I mean, would you like to have dinner?”

Duo’s eyes raked down his body, sending a little thrill down Hiiro’s spine, but when they came back up there was a shadow dancing amid their light. “I can’t,” he shrugged dismissively. “I’m working the luau tonight.” Hiiro couldn’t contain his disappointment and Duo smiled. “But you’ll be there right?”

A small consolation but, “Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you there,” Duo smiled brightening the day once again. “I think you’ll enjoy my show.”

“Show?” Hiiro smiled, feeling a touch giddy all of a sudden. 

“You’ll see,” he grinned, tossing a savory smile over his shoulder when he exited the room. 

Hiiro stood for a time looking after him as his mind turned over slowly while a tidal wave rose inside him. Duo hadn’t said no because he wasn’t interested, he had to work. He’d also made it very clear he’d like to see Hiiro at the luau which indicated more than just a friendly interest. Was it actually possible this beauty could be available? He left the dojo feeling a whole lot lighter and wondering what the proper attire for a luau might be. 

There were four hours before evening however, and he had made an appointment with Mia Lee of the local community college. She was an instructor whose theories intrigued him when he read of her work with microorganisms along the local reefs and until he’d met Duo he was looking forward to an afternoon in her company. As it was he could barely keep his mind on what she was saying. His mind kept drifting back to the hotel and Duo’s sweet smile, the oddly insinuative things he had said and his hopes for the coming evening. When he left Dr. Lee’s office, briskly making his way back toward the Koele resort, nothing he learned during his visit had stuck with him. For the first time in his life he had willingly disregarded the useful in favor of the desired. His heart beat faster the closer he got, his eyes scanning the lobby, halls and pool area for any sign of his quarry, but Duo was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t really matter; he said he would be at the luau which was starting in a little over an hour so he headed upstairs to grab a shower and change.

The suite was cool, much cooler than he’d anticipated so he made a mental note to ask about the climate control before heading for his room, but a small noise from Trowa’s stalled his progress. Feeling just light headed enough to tease him considering they had both found something exciting on this trip he spun and walked into his room with a huge grin and his secret on his lips only to flush fire red and drop his jaw on the carpet upon seeing Trowa and his new blond friend engaged in full intercourse. Trowa’s head snapped around whereas his new lover squeaked loudly and jerked the covers over his head while Hiiro back peddled out of the room at break neck speed. 

“Sorry!” he barked, slamming the door behind him and gulping for air. “Shit,” he breathed, standing back from the door while visions of Quatre’s legs wrapped firmly around Trowa’s hips bombarded his mind. He turned quickly to flee to his room, shaking his head madly while his traitorous mind shifted the scene replacing his friend and his lover with images of Duo and himself. No, this was moving way too fast. How in the hell had Trowa managed to score in less than an afternoon?!

“Hiiro?”

He paused, realizing he was on autopilot when he discovered a blue shirt and a towel in his hand. Taking a deep breath helped him to relax enough to settle on the bed and collect his thoughts while Trowa stepped into the room, the rumpled condition of his hair and hastily thrown on pants giving testament that what Hiiro had witnessed had indeed been real. 

“Sorry,” he offered again, unable to look him in the eye. 

Trowa snorted softly, casually leaning against the door jam. “I think that’s my line,” he grinned. 

“I didn’t mean to barge in…”

“We should have locked the door.”

“I didn’t think…” Hiiro began but stopped when he realized what he was saying could sound offensive. He turned his eyes up to regard his tousled companion. “This isn’t really your style is it?” he asked cautiously. 

Trowa shrugged, seeming to understand where he was coming from. “He’s not your average beefcake,” he smiled. 

“Is that for better or worse?” Hiiro chuckled, uncomfortable with the situation. He’d known Trowa a long time, but never in all their years had he seen him pursue casual affairs. The thought that he might actually care for this blond made him uneasy on many levels, but none so prominent as the fact that they were all hell and away from their homes and long distance was a killer when it came to love and happiness. 

True to form, Trowa replied with an honest, “I don’t know. But I think he’s worth finding out.”

The concern eased in Hiiro’s heart, knowing that he wasn’t blindly jumping into the starlit sky. At least he was aware of the problems and consciously willing to face them. It made him think of Duo and wonder where they might stand should things progress the way his heart wanted them too. 

“Would you mind speaking to him?” Trowa asked hopefully. 

Hiiro’s first reaction was stunned terror, but seeing the need in Trowa’s emerald eyes helped him put it in perspective. Quatre had to be utterly mortified. He owed him an apology so he nodded and followed him back in the other room. Quatre was fully dressed and just finishing tying his shoes when he turned his crimson face up to greet them. 

“Hi,” Hiiro smiled nervously. 

“Hi,” Quatre returned, going an even darker red. 

“You’re leaving?” Trowa inquired, but it was clear the question was much more complicated than the words revealed. 

“I…” he began, once again flicking a glance Hiiro’s way. “I should be going.”

“Don’t leave on my account.” Hiiro didn’t know what to say, but he knew he had to try. “I just came up to grab a shower. Sorry for the intrusion,” he offered. 

“No,” Quatre countered, rising to his feet. “It was our fault. We never should have…”

“I don’t see why not,” Hiiro cut in, adopting a casual air that made Trowa’s lips curl upward. “I haven’t seen him smile like that since he figured out he was gay,” he grinned, knowing he was on the right road when Quatre softly giggled. “Look, I really am sorry; you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Quatre relaxed somewhat, making the smile on Trowa’s face grow. “This is all very…unusual for me,” he sighed, glancing again at his tall lover. 

“No one thinks you’re easy,” Trowa smiled, closing the distance between them to take him in his arms and kiss his hair. 

Quatre gusted a huge breath up through his bangs and chuckled, “I feel like an idiot.”

“You look happy,” Hiiro countered, flashing a rare, full smile that so unbalanced Trowa he forgot to breathe, but the sight of them together gave Hiiro goose bumps to think he might stand the same chance with Duo. 

Quatre opted to stay with some insistence from Trowa, who coerced him into showering together after Hiiro retreated to his bathroom. The fact that they were still in there when he was clean, dressed and headed out the door put a smile on Hiiro’s face. It was nice to think Trowa might have finally found that elusive love he’d craved. Hiiro had never pined openly for a lover, thinking the notion intrusive and more trouble than it was worth, but one thought of Duo changed all that. Now, he couldn’t wait to find the next step on the road and sincerely hoped they would have the chance to spend some time together during his visit. 

He wondered briefly where Wufei had gotten off to while he closed the door behind him and turned toward the elevator, but the sight of his Chinese friend stumbling out of the lift with Brit attached to his face answered that question pretty quick. They looked as if they’d just been through a spin dry and seemed completely unaware of his presence until she broke free and giggled drunkenly, her arms clinging on in jovial amusement while she retreated into the elevator and he reluctantly pulled away and headed down the hall. 

“I’ll see you downstairs,” Wufei promised, bumping into Hiiro’s chest. 

“Don’t make me wait,” she giggled as the doors slid shut. 

“Having fun?” Hiiro grinned down at where he was bonelessly splayed across his chest. 

“Got lucky,” Wufei flashed a sappy grin that said more than Hiiro wanted to know. 

“You need a collar and a leash,” Hiiro snickered, pushing him to his feet. 

“I need a shower,” Wufei chuckled, sniffing himself disdainfully. “Sex always smells better when you’re engaged in it.”

“You are such a slut,” Hiiro shook his head. 

“You wish,” Wufei smirked, heading for their room. 

“Knock if you want to see Trowa!” Hiiro warned, stalling his entry while Wufei smiled devilishly back at him. 

“He scored?”

“You scored,” Hiiro smiled. “I think he actually got lucky.”

A polo shirt and slacks was apparently overdressing for a luau. Hiiro squashed the odd feeling of being the only person attending that wasn’t wearing shorts, knowing he would be even more uncomfortable if he had dressed differently. The pool area was more active than it had been during the day as the evening light quickly faded to be replaced by the colorful illumination of paper lanterns draped between swaying palms while patrons splashed in the water and drank from coconuts with little umbrella’s sticking out the top. The carved, tiki posts around the poolside bar seemed to come alive in the dancing light, each snarling their lopsided grins at the throng of party-goers. It was busy, but not overly crowded and there was activity stretching down to the beach. 

He wandered through, accepting a complimentary virgin pina colada from one of the hula girl staff members before moseying down toward the ocean. The beach was as busy as the pool deck, but it seemed there were more hotel employees running around in the sand. Hiiro watched for a bit while they and some of the more adventurous guests slowly built a great pile of wood in a large hole that had been dug in the sand. It was quite impressive, standing four feet high, its breadth infested with dark shadows from the torches the staff carried here and there. He wandered back up to the hotel, wondering what area Duo might be working in when a sudden squeal resounded in the air. 

“Fei!!!” 

Hiiro turned toward the cumulative squeal to see his Chinese friend happily ensconced in the middle of a circle of girls, though Brit wasn’t among them. Curious as to her whereabouts he scanned the area, spotting her at a table with two men, one older gentleman that had the look of a father and another that looked enough like her to be a possible sibling. She was watching Wufei play with his friends with an air of bored dismissal that eased Hiiro’s concern that she might have taken the afternoon too seriously. His heart sank when she noticed him looking and brightened dangerously. Before he could make good his escape she had abandoned her chair and was headed straight for him. 

“Hi,” she smiled, stepping well inside his personal space. 

“Evening,” he returned casually backing away. 

“They really outdid themselves,” she smiled taking in all the decorations. Hiiro nodded, turning his attention back to Wufei when one of his company squealed and giggled. When he glanced back, Brit chuckled then flushed at his scrutinizing gaze. “He’s a lot of fun,” she commenting. 

“So I’m told,” Hiiro smirked behind his coconut.

She seemed at a loss for something to say for a moment then looked around and asked, “Where’s your other friend?”

“He’s around.”

Her smile brightened conspiratorially. “I think Marsha’s out to get him.”

“A futile endeavor,” he replied. 

“So he really is gay?” she asked, keeping her voice low. 

“Indubitably,” Hiiro confirmed, adding a sympathetic, “Sorry,” for her friend’s loss. 

“Like that’d stop Marsha,” Brit giggled. 

“I doubt she’d be foolish enough to pursue a gay partner.”

Brit’s eyes flashed mischievously. “That just makes it more fun.”

Okay, that was enough of this conversation. Hiiro managed a polite smile before silently excusing himself and moving off toward Wufei, leaving her to sigh heavily and return to her table. 

“Hiiro,” Wufei laughed, extracting himself from between two of his shapely entourage. “You need another drink,” he insisted, flagging down the nearest hostess. 

Hiiro accepted politely even though the drink in his hand was barely half empty trading the old for the new when the hula girl drifted by. 

“Who’s your friend?” 

Hiiro recalled seeing the young, dusky blond at the pool earlier in the day, her face imprinted in his memory by the oddity that she seemed unable to grasp objects firmly enough to keep them from tumbling to the ground, but he wasn’t interested in her interest and let his eyes search for Duo while Wufei replied. 

“This is Hiiro. We attend Steinhart together,” he explained. 

“Oh?” the young lady smiled demurely, batting sooty lashes that Hiiro never saw. “Do you study law like Wufei?” she asked, persistently trying to gain the handsome Japanese boy’s attention. 

“No,” Hiiro replied succinctly, rotating gently when a new beat mingled with the lively background music. 

“He’s in oceanography,” Wufei supplied. 

“Oh, how interesting,” she smiled, leaning over to see what Hiiro was so interested in. 

The floor show had started on a small stage set up beside the pool, but much to Hiiro’s disappointment, Duo was not a part of it. He had hoped to see him earlier and as the hula clad hostesses took the stage to dance he wondered if he’d heard Duo right about his show. Or perhaps, it was some other sort of show. Either way, he wasn’t on stage so Hiiro turned back to find his conversation partner fiddling nervously with her glass and a dark scowl in Wufei’s eyes. 

“Are you here on business?” he asked, attempting to appease his irritated companion. 

Her smile brightened instantly. “No,” she replied, flushing softly under the new velvet sky. “Kristy and I, I’m Aurora by the way,” she smiled holding out her hand delicately and Hiiro touched her fingers appropriately. “We’re from New York. My father has business on the Big Island so we came along for the ride.”

Kristy, who was hanging off Wufei’s shoulder, suddenly giggled at something happening on stage. “He’s such a riot,” she laughed, allowing Wufei to wrap a hand around the back of her thigh. 

Hiiro turned, feeling as if the ground had moved and shifted beneath him when he saw Duo on stage with a ti leaf crown encircling his fiery chestnut head, his bare chest glimmering in the dancing light of the torches tumbling in his hands while he bent his body backward until his head almost touched the floor, raised a torch to his lips and blew a towering column of flame ten feet in the air. The crowd cheered, moving to encircle the stage while Duo continued the deadly dance, but all Hiiro could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat until Wufei commented…

“I hope he’s this good in the dark,” as he moved toward the stage until Hiiro’s fist suddenly gripped his shoulder, pulling him up short. 

“I’ll let you know,” he said in a tone of unmistakable warning when he pushed by, leaving Wufei in the company of his young maids with a wide grin on his lips. 

Hiiro watched, mesmerized by the fluid grace being displayed. It was clear Duo had found many ways to make use of his agility and speed as he performed the ancient fire dance of the natives. Clearly, he was not Hawaiian by birth, but his soul was in synch with the islands, personifying their vibrancy, the delicate balance between life and death as he spit fire into the sky and embraced the flame. By the time it was over he could barely catch his breath, his eyes had gone dry from an unblinking gaze and his groin ached with a need the likes of which he’d never dreamed possible. He moved unconsciously toward the stairs when Duo made his exit, having to back away several steps while he bounced to the ground and snatched up a bottle of water from a table. Hiiro grinned widely, watching him down the crystal liquid, recalling the flames that had been spewing from his mouth minutes before. 

“You’re not burned?” he asked, unable to keep the giddy elation from his tone. 

“Naw,” Duo laughed, wiping sweat from his glistening brow. 

“How do you do that?” Hiiro chuckled in amazement. 

“Like this,” Duo grinned, turning up a brown bottle that had also been on the table. Hiiro’s eyes snapped open wide when he pulled one of the torches along the edge of the stage to his mouth and blew a four feet tongue of flame into the sky. 

The crowd cheered again, but quickly turned their attention back to the current dancers that had taken Duo’s place while Hiiro asked. “What is that stuff?”

His world spun completely out of control when Duo suddenly lurched forward and his mouth closed roughly over Hiiro’s in a wide, open mouthed kiss that left him dizzy and utterly devoid of intelligent thought. 

“Sorry,” Duo chuckled, blushing softly when he retreated. 

Hiiro grinned. “Whiskey,” he surmised, licking his lips. 

“Yeah,” Duo smiled with open delight. 

For a moment they stood and looked at each other, just long enough for them to cautiously formulate something to say, but as their jaws dropped to speak, a strange, quick rhythm sounded on the drums and Duo suddenly balked. 

“That’s my cue!” he gasped, rushing back up the stairs. 

Hiiro backed into a spot where he could see the whole stage, expecting more fire breathing, but was once again enraptured when Duo and another man of obvious native blood tossed swords at each other and began a spectacular blade demonstration. There was more, so much more, but it all seemed like a dream. He was aware of Wufei’s sporadic presence, but couldn’t recall anything he had said and was utterly incapable of being anywhere but where Duo was in between sets. When the show finally wound down he was once again waiting where he exited the stage, his heart filled with unnamable emotions and his eyes glittering with stars. 

“You’re fantastic!” he grinned. 

“Thanks,” Duo smiled, wiping his brow with the towel Hiiro had offered. “It pays the bills.”

“Is the show over?” Hiiro asked hopefully. 

“My part is,” Duo replied, glancing shyly at the ground. 

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’m still on duty.”

Damn. 

“But as soon as the bonfire’s under way I’m off for the night.”

Hiiro’s smile nearly split his cheeks. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Be there when the flames kiss the sky,” Duo smiled then disappeared to join his sword wielding friend on the other side of the stage area. 

“Having fun?”

“Hell, yeah,” Hiiro grinned, grimacing only when he realized the voice belonged to Trowa. 

“Hi,” Quatre beamed, clinging openly to his arm while his eyes shone with the unmistakable light of love. “I guess we missed the show.”

“Not all of it,” Trowa grinned. 

“They’ll light the fire soon,” Quatre commented. 

“You’ve been here before?” Hiiro inquired. 

“Quatre comes every year for the competition,” Trowa explained. 

“Will it be long?” Hiiro asked, turning to search for his wayward interest. 

Quatre considered the way Hiiro was trying to see backstage and sighed impatiently. “As soon as the staff is finished powdering each others asses they’ll move the party out onto the beach.”

Hiiro’s gaze turned to regard him, not caring for the comment. 

“What a ride!” Wufei chortled, falling into their midst. Hiiro recoiled from the perfumed, musky stench wafting off him, but held him firm in lieu of letting him fall to the ground. 

“You have no self respect,” Trowa chuckled, pushing his head away when the drunken Chinese boy leered up at him and Quatre. 

“Who’s the babe?” Wufei asked, peering at the blond. 

Quatre laughed good naturedly and offered a polite, “Quatre. Nice to meet you.” 

Wufei snorted softly and hid his face in Hiiro’s shoulder. “For a minute there I thought you’d changed your spots.”

“No way,” Trowa smiled, pulling Quatre closer. 

“Come on,” Quatre suddenly smiled, “They’re starting.”

Hiiro’s heart raced while they made their way down to the beach. Many of the other visitors were slowly migrating as well while the music softened by the pool and grew louder down on the sprawling sand. Several of the hotels staff members were putting the finishing touches on the stack of firewood and Hiiro smiled brightly to see that Duo was among them. Low beach chairs and blankets had been strewn around at a safe distance, allowing Hiiro to deposit Wufei on one while Trowa made himself and Quatre cozy on another. He watched with great anticipation while people laughed and sang and partied the night away, relishing every moment he was able to see Duo. 

“You guys want another drink?” Trowa asked, helping Quatre to his feet a short while later. 

“Yeah!”

“No,” Hiiro countered, pushing Wufei’s hand back down with a scolding gaze. Technically they weren’t allowed alcohol, but he had obviously found some way around the minor standing. 

“We’ll be back,” Trowa chuckled, slipping a bold arm around Quatre’s waist before leading him off. 

Hiiro sat quietly for a time, then cringed when the wind shifted. “Geez,” he groaned, scrunching up his nose in distaste. “What in the hell happened to you?”

“Aurora got jealous when she caught me and Kristy in the bathroom,” Wufei chuckled, closing his eyes against the spinning sky. 

“That’ll teach you,” Hiiro snorted but Wufei merely grinned. “What happened?” he asked, curious as to why this would put a smile on his face. 

“What could I do?” Wufei chuckled, ginning devilishly. “I couldn’t let the poor girl feel left out.”

Hiiro shook his head laughing it off, but the idea that Wufei had done two girls in the bathroom already that night ate at him. “You’re running pretty fast on this one aren’t you?”

“It’s my last chance,” he replied, sobering to a more relaxed state while Hiiro’s eyes watched Duo chase a young, giggling girl away from the sleeping fire. “You might try loosening up a little too,” he smiled, peeking with one eye at his distracted friend. “You might even get laid for once.”

Hiiro considered the possibility of taking Duo in his arms and the joy it would bring before he let his mouth curl softly and replied, “Getting laid’s not enough.”

“Pft!” Wufei snorted. “You’re asking too much if you want anything more from this crowd,” he chuckled, unaware of the shadow the comment caused in Hiiro’s eyes. “Whatever,” he sighed, lazing on the towel. “At least you’re showing an interest.”

Hiiro was about to defend himself when a horrendous cry ripped from the center of the scene, calling the attention of everyone attending. The large man Duo had preformed with was screaming his battle cry while the hula dancers encircling the fire pit, their skirted hips telling the tales of eons gone by when Duo suddenly sprang into the mix. The man caught him in midair, breaking his fall, then the entire lot of them broke into a dizzying, primal dance. Wufei sat up, seeming to have shaken off his stupor while Hiiro rose to his feet and stared in wide wonder at the epic unfolding before him. It was the most vivid thing he’d ever seen and Duo was the heartbeat of it all, his thin body swirling and spinning to the heavy beat of the drums until he and his partner were handed lit torches and the area cleared while they displayed their juggling talents, tossing the flaming shafts between them. The music suddenly hit a fevered pitch and Duo bent over completely backward until his head and hand touched the ground while he brought the fire to his lips and set the wood ablaze with one mighty breath of flame. Hiiro’s heart soared while the crowd cheered and joined in the dance. A moment later he was swept away, his feet carrying him gladly into the gyrating throng when Duo wrapped his arms around his neck and bade him dance. 

“He’s…dancing,” Trowa deadpanned when he and Quatre returned and witnessed the odd revelation. 

“And me without a vid-cam,” Wufei snorted, getting to his feet. 

“Hi, Fei!” 

“Hi, Lana!” he grinned, jogging off in the direction of the young lady that was waving happily to him. 

“Quatre?” Trowa inquired, feeling the strange energy emanating from his new lover. “Is anything wrong?”

“Hm?” he replied, seeming put out while he watched Hiiro twirl Duo around in the sand. 

“Do you want to dance?” 

“No,” Quatre smiled, coming back to himself. 

It was all like some fantastic dream. The sky and ocean, the air so clean and crisp while flames danced high into the night and Duo moved with sultry ease in his arms. He knew he should slow down before he got swept away in this delicious tide, but Duo felt so right by his side and looked so beautiful under the star filled sky he was inescapably enraptured. Before the fifth turn of the drum he had lost all control of his senses and leaned in to capture his mouth in a sizzling kiss. Some small part of his mind expected to be pushed away or punched in the face, but the greater part of him was reveling in the sinful way Duo was returning his affection. 

“Walk with me,” he gasped while the world slowly slipped away. 

He could feel Duo trembling and knew the thrill of his having been the cause, but it was his own knees that shook when he swallowed and breathed, “Okay.”

Duo glanced about as if logging the scene and it’s occupants when they turned to leave, but all Hiiro cared about was getting him somewhere where he could finally find out more about him. They’d been playing dodge all day and all he really knew was his name and that his kiss was hopelessly intoxicating. 

“Have you worked here long?” he asked when they had moved a short distance from the noise. 

“A couple of years,” Duo replied. “Things get busy when there’s a competition.”

“Like the one Wednesday,” Hiiro nodded. “It’s all Trowa could think about when we decided to come here.”

Duo smiled. “Surfers are like that. What about you? What brings you to our little island home?”

“Wufei,” Hiiro snorted. 

“He seems like a fun guy,” Duo commented sympathetically. 

“He’s under a lot of pressure, I suppose,” Hiiro explained. “His family expects a great deal from him.”

“Like marrying for social prowess?” 

Hiiro’s brow knit curiously. “How did you…?”

“He let it slip to Karman,” Duo chuckled. “Half the girls in the hotel are lined up and eager to show him some sympathy.”

Hiiro laughed outright. “No wonder,” he chuckled, glancing sideways at his beautiful companion. 

“I take it he’s not thrilled about it?” Duo commented. 

Hiiro knew he was just making conversation, but he didn’t want to tread on his friend’s privacy either. “I imagine it’s not an easy way of life.”

Duo chuckled, bringing a curious crease to Hiiro’s brow. “Sorry,” he offered. “It’s just…at first…I thought he was hitting on me.”

Hiiro grinned. “Maybe he was,” he chuckled, daring to brush the back of his hand over Duo’s while they walked. “I certainly couldn’t fault him there.”

Duo smiled boldly taking Hiiro’s hand while he replied, “I was a lost cause the minute I laid eyes on you.”

“This cannot be happening,” Hiiro breathed softly, turning to gently cup Duo’s face in his hands. He gasped softly, but didn’t pull away, emboldening him to dig in for another taste of those luscious lips. 

Duo melted so sublimely into his arms he felt a low throated growl emanate from deep within his chest and crushed his slender body to him. Duo whimpered deliciously while he explored his mouth, his tongue digging deep to savor every morsel while his hand slowly slid down the sensuous curve of his back. The feel of Duo’s hands making their way up the back of his shirt sent such a thrill through him he unconsciously moved them across the sand until his back hit something solid, giving him purchase while he leaned forward and ground their hips together. He groaned helplessly when confronted with the reality of the firmness of Duo’s cock; its presence effectively shutting down what small part of his brain that was still working while his hand quickly slipped down the back of Duo’s shorts. 

“Hurry!” Duo gasped, breaking the kiss long enough to peek at Hiiro’s belt to figure out the clasp then his mouth was back on Hiiro’s and the heat flared to dangerous proportions. “No,” he breathed, pulling the dazed Japanese boy back up when he began to push him to the ground with the short explanation, “Sand is bad.”

Hiiro didn’t care where they did it as long as it happened, then noted the tree behind his partner and pressed him firmly against it. Duo gasped and cried out when he dropped to his knees, quickly pulling his shorts down and kissing the tip of his swollen cock. Duo’s hands sank into his hair, begging for more while Hiiro slowly sucked him in. He took a moment to taste him before the passion flared too hot and Duo almost crumbled when he swallowed him whole. He shook and groaned, spreading his legs hungrily when Hiiro dared reach for what he wanted most and the action sent a furious need racing through him when his most basic need was eagerly presented, Duo’s hungry reaction revealing his great anticipation of the deed while Hiiro prepared him. 

“Give me your leg,” Hiiro rasped, rising to kiss him again, but Duo complied almost before the words left his throat. He was prepared for the awkward task of maintaining their balance and forcing entry into the beautiful body in his arms, but Duo once again thrilled him by taking matters into his own hands. Hiiro shook with need while his new lover positioned him against the incredible heat, his mind reeling in a tornado of raw emotion while he kissed Duo madly and drove deep inside him. Duo groaned, shivering hard while his body tensed. 

“Don’t stop!” he hissed when Hiiro slowed, begging with body and mind for everything Hiiro wanted to give him so he pressed on, ignoring the warning voice of reason until he was fully seated in rapturous, molten flesh. “Please,” Duo groaned, shifting his hips and suddenly Hiiro couldn’t hold back anymore, pulling out quickly only to slam back inside. “Yes!” Duo gasped, arching back into the leaning palm, his eyes squeezed tightly closed while his hands gripped Hiiro’s neck and shoulders. 

He couldn’t stop; he knew it was happening too fast, but Duo just kept begging for more. He’d never dared dream of a lover so submissively demanding. It was more than his mind could comprehend, but his body needed no further explanation and answered Duo’s ravenous need with complete abandon. Again and again he thrust into the mind numbing pleasure, his senses acutely attuned to every sound, every movement or shudder of Duo’s body where it writhed hungrily beneath him. The starlight caressed him with blue/white fingertips where his bare chest rose and fell in rapid succession. The sight stole Hiiro’s breath away and bade him taste the glistening skin, but the moment his mouth covered one dusky nipple Duo cried out, arched painfully and came, the tightening of his body and overwhelming beauty drawing from Hiiro the single most powerful orgasm he had ever experienced in his life. He stood on shaking knees still buried deep inside his heat while his vision slowly returned to reveal the sloe eyed resplendency that lay before him. 

“You’re incredible,” he breathed reverently, moving in for a trembling kiss. 

Duo returned the sentiment with some effort as he seemed to be having trouble catching his breath, but it didn’t stop him from asking, “Can we go to your room?”

Hiiro smiled widely, pulling free and helping him up. As thrilling as the event had already been he couldn’t stop the elation building inside him when faced with the prospect of having Duo all to himself in a nice comfortable bed all night long. He wanted to talk with him, to hear of his hopes and dreams, what plans he had made for the future, but most of all he wanted to please him and he had a pretty good idea of how to accomplish that task. They avoided the party on the way back, going in the servant’s entrance and taking the freight elevators. It was a close call to keep from defiling the lift, but the doors opened before things got carried away and they laughed as they tumbled into Hiiro’s room and dropped onto the bed. 

Hands moved quickly to rid them of their clothes and their first coupling of the night was as fast and furious as the impromptu mating on the beach. Duo was just as, if not more, demanding within the safety of Hiiro’s room, presenting himself on all fours when things got hot and heavy, a sight that practically gave Hiiro a nosebleed while he moved in and promptly nailed him with vicious intent. It was pure heaven. He simply could not reason how he had stumbled across a lover so perfectly matched to his needs. Duo was not only gorgeous, talented and intelligent; he was the epitome of submissive perfection in bed. His body demanded all the things Hiiro’s craved to give bringing about an equality between them he’d never dared dream possible. The end was messy, violent and crude and everything Hiiro had ever fantasized about and more. They collapsed into the damp sheets, each sucking for air and shaking while they clung to one another tightly and just tried to breathe. 

“That…was amazing,” Duo chuckled. 

Hiiro laughed in giddy elation, but had no energy for a reply. His head turned contentedly when Duo slowly rolled out of bed and headed for the wash room. Predictably he returned with a warm washcloth, but Hiiro was delightfully surprised when he straddled his thighs and began to slowly clean his stomach, chest and groin. 

“You are soooo fine,” Duo smiled, staring reverently at Hiiro’s toned and rippled torso. 

“I was thinking the same thing about you,” Hiiro smiled, nabbing his hand and pulling him down for a slow, tender kiss. 

As much as Hiiro wanted to know more about his new lover, things just never seemed to settle long enough to get too deep into a conversation. Time and again he felt the need rise and time and again Duo answered the call with an eagerness that belied sanity. Before either of them was aware the night had gone and dawn was on the horizon reminding them that time waits for no man. Hiiro dozed happily, unable to reconcile the life he had led before coming there with the future he now saw until he stirred at the odd sound of someone’s hushed disagreement. When he opened his eyes it was to find Duo was no longer by his side which brought wakefulness fairly quickly, but his heart calmed when he recognized his voice in the other room. His chest tightened however, when he realized the hushed tones were indeed an argument and the second voice belonged to Quatre. 

“…the hell you think you’re doing?!” Quatre hissed, obviously trying to keep his voice down. 

Hiiro peered from the small crack in his bedroom door, not wanting to interrupt a quarrel, but needing to know Duo was alright. 

“It’s no big deal.” 

“Bullshit!” Quatre snapped, making Hiiro start as the swear sounded so utterly foreign on his lips. “You knew I was seeing Trowa!”

“Why should you be the only one having fun?!” Duo snipped and Hiiro’s heart sank. Was that all he was? 

“I really like him, Duo!”

“So what?” he growled, snapping up one of Wufei’s shirts that was lying on the back of a chair. 

“So?!” Quatre rasped furiously. “So what in the hell is he going to think when he finds out my best friend is playing with his best friend!?”

Hiiro felt his chest split down the middle, his mind unable to accept the meaning of the words as his head began to spin. 

“You’re overreacting,” Duo sighed, pulling Wufei’s shirt on. 

“Damn it, Duo!” Quatre suddenly cried, sinking into the couch. 

“Hey,” he sighed, coming to squat beside him. “This guy really means a lot to you,” he surmised, receiving a watery nod from his friend. Despair gripped Hiiro’s heart, dragging him down into the pit of hell when Duo sighed softly, “It’s over anyway.”

That was it? That’s all it had been, a one night stand. He’d been played. 

“I don’t want to mess this up,” Quatre sniffed. 

“I know,” Duo sighed again, standing to stare out the sliding glass doors. 

“Do you like him?” Quatre asked uncertainly and Hiiro’s blood pressure rocketed until Duo replied…

“It wouldn’t matter, once he found out about Hilde he’d hit the road anyway.”

He had a girlfriend. It was the final slap in the face, sending Hiiro padding silently backwards to seek the safety of his room. He’d been played and royally. How many other men had Duo seduced while working there? His stomach turned at the thought, his bowels moving like water while he bent and held his tumultuous gut tight. How could he have been so blind? It hurt all over, his chest felt as if it might cave in, making it hard to breathe. How could he? Images of their lovemaking flashed before his eyes, the tender moments suddenly branded by tawdry reality and he wretched, racing for the bathroom, but by the time he got there the sickening feeling had receded. He hung over the toilet waiting for the second wave. Never before had he felt such vile sorrow. Duo…beautiful, sweet Duo had used him in the worse possible way. The memory of watching the long haired beauty reach out to heaven’s door as he lay beneath him called forth another wave of nausea that ended in the dry heaves. He just couldn’t believe it. What they shared had been beautiful, something to be treasured, he’d felt it and it was real. He kicked himself mercilessly, squashing the urge to vomit again and forced himself upright. It hadn’t been real, Duo was after one thing and he’d gotten plenty of it. Now he would go back to his girlfriend and Hiiro would be less than a memory by the time the next sucker came along. He washed out his mouth and clamped down hard on his broken heart, swearing no one would ever use him again before dressing and leaving the empty room for his morning appointment at the Colonial Oceanographic Institute. 

“Good morning, Mr. Yui.”

Hiiro extended a hand to Dr. Willmont, the leading administrator at the institute. He’d read many of her publications and found her views and theories most interesting. His mind drifted back to Duo making it suddenly hard to breathe and he clenched his jaw tight and shoved the vile memories away. He had to get back to business, he had a purpose and no quick piece of ass was going to bar his way no matter how sweet it had been. He swallowed the rising excitement when visions of Duo danced in his mind’s eye and gripped the rage that followed for having allowed the transgression. 

“Are you all right?”

“Pardon?” he replied, realizing belatedly that he was absently ignoring the good doctor. “Sorry,” he offered, feeling wrung out and very tired all of a sudden. 

“You look a little pale,” she confessed, motioning him to a seat in the lab they were inspecting. 

“I’m fine,” he smiled, but accepted the small reprieve. How could Duo have done this?

“Would you like some water?” the doctor offered kindly. She was an older woman, but attractive in a way that whispered of youthful beauty. Her eyes were kind and her manner, though sternly professional, was motherly in her concern. 

“Thank you,” he replied, understanding he was beyond the point of denying his distress. “I guess I had a little too much fun last night,” he chuckled, cringing at the absurdity of the comment. 

She chuckled, but seemed to see deeper, her woman’s intuition opening a window into his soul that left him feeling open and displayed. 

“You’re staying at Koele?” she asked offhandedly, taking a seat beside him. He sipped his water and nodded. “Those luau’s can get a little wild,” she chuckled and he managed another small nod around the stabbing pain in his chest. She went quiet for a moment then her brown eyes softened in sympathy to his obvious pain. “I’ve read your thesis on Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries Hasle,” she commented tactfully, attempting a change of subject, but Hiiro’s mind had taken a turn for the worse, his thoughts consumed with memories of Duo. His eyes and skin, the way he arched back and moaned when Hiiro… 

“Mr. Yui?”

“What?” he breathed softly, blushing warmly when he realized he’d space out again. 

“This isn’t where you want to be,” Dr. Willmont smiled. 

He wanted to deny it, but his insides felt like someone had filled him with jelly. “I’m sorry,” he sighed in resignation. “I just…perhaps we could do this another time.”

“You’re welcome to drop by anytime,” she chuckled at the oddly stunned expression in his eyes. “You’re a brilliant young man,” she told him, rising in a dismissive manner. “I was hoping to use this time to recruit you, but it seems you have some unfinished business to attend to before that can happen.”

“You were gong to offer me a job?” Hiiro wondered, standing as well. Damn it! He’d let this thing with Duo ruin his life already! 

“It can wait,” she smiled. 

“No,” he shook his head. “This is nothing. I just overdid it, but it’s not something I make a habit of…”

“Hiiro,” she cut in, shocking him into silence by using his first name. “I have no intention of letting you get away,” she smiled, easing some of his tension. He’d never thought for a moment he’d be given a chance to work with a world class organization like Colonial before he’d even finished school. It was a golden opportunity and he’d almost let his libido ruin it. “Why don’t you come with us tomorrow?” she suggested. “We’re taking the local high school dive team to the south shore to retrieve algae samples.”

“I’d love to,” he smiled with relief. Perhaps he hadn’t completely botched it after all. 

“Fine,” she agreed, seeming relieved as well. “Meet us here tomorrow afternoon. Do you need equipment?”

“Is there somewhere I could rent something?” he asked, forcing his mind to put things in order. 

“We have plenty to spare,” she smiled. 

“Thank you.”

He returned to Koele feeling a tad bit lighter, but his thoughts still swirled around Duo. He just couldn’t make himself believe what they had shared was nothing more than a quick roll to him. Forcing away the pain that resonated behind his breastplate had already become a habit that eased with the passage of time and he managed to line up his new schedule mentally while the elevator made its way to the lobby. He would shower and change then head into town and spend the day exploring the island. The prospect of working there was a dream come true, but his mind flitted to thoughts of the fact that if he accepted he would be living in the same city as Duo. He couldn’t let it hamper his goals; there was no way he was going to mess this up just because some pretty face had taken a bite out of him. He would move on and forget the entire incident had ever happened. As far as he was concerned, Duo was nothing more than a memory, but that resolution shattered the moment the elevator doors opened and Duo smiled shyly from within. Hiiro froze while every thought in his mind scattered and ran screaming into the dark. 

Duo paused a moment, looking decidedly uncomfortable, just the way someone would if they had guilty feelings over something, Hiiro thought, then shook himself and offered an amiable, “Morning.”

“M…morning,” Hiiro stammered, having to clear the dry lump from his throat. 

“Sorry I left so early,” Duo offered, stepping out of the lift. Hiiro knew he should step in and let the doors close and take him away from there, but his body refused to obey. Why did he have to be so damn beautiful? “We start at the crack of dawn around here,” Duo explained, looking as if he wanted to bolt. 

Hiiro strangled the desire to sneer accusations and kicked his need to take him in his arms and prove he was more than a simple, one night stand and latched onto the indifference that had gotten him through so many other hard situations. “No problem,” he replied evenly, turning to call the elevator again. 

When he turned back his gut twisted at the odd expression of pain and confusion in Duo’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resigned acceptance. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” he nodded, turning away. 

Hiiro’s hand reached for him before he could stop it but never connected, falling back to his side while he watched Duo walk away. He sighed, so much for putting it all behind him. The pain flared again, stubbornly reminding him their time together had been anything but meaningless to him. It was clear Duo was just playing games, however, so he swallowed the sickness again and went to take that shower, but no matter how hard he scrubbed the memories of Duo remained. He had to get out of there, out of the room where they’d spent so many hours making love, out of the hotel where he’d first seen those incredible violet eyes and away from the place that held the shards of a broken dream.

“Hiiro!” His steps stalled on the lobby floor while he clenched his eyes shut and tried not to feel guilty about wishing Wufei hadn’t seen him. “Where’re you headed?” he grinned. 

“Out.”

Wufei’s expressed washed with concern at the strange tone. “Kristy and Aurora said there’s a private beach down the coast,” he informed him, falling into step beside him while they made their way toward the front door. “We were going to do some wind surfing. Why don’t you come along?”

“I think Dr. Willmont is going to offer me a job,” Hiiro commented, ignoring the invitation. 

“No shit?” Wufei grinned. “When did this happen?”

“This morning.”

“You mean you could actually walk after last night?” Wufei chuckled, but the joke died hard when Hiiro glared hatefully and stopped dead in his tracks. “What’s with you?” he asked defensively, confused. 

“What about last night?” Hiiro demanded, feeling his nerves frazzle at the thought of his stupidity becoming public news. 

“Nothing,” Wufei shrugged, but smiled. “I just figured after all the noise you guys made you’d rather sleep in, I guess.”

Fuck. “It’s nothing you haven’t done,” Hiiro snipped. 

“Relax,” Wufei soothed, stepping back a pace. “I’m all for a little bump and grind. I’m just a little surprised it was a guy,” he smiled. “Even one like Duo.”

“What’s the difference?” Hiiro growled, pushing past him. “It doesn’t matter as long as you get off.”

Wufei stared after him for a very long moment, totally floored by his uncharacteristic behavior. Hiiro wasn’t the type; his values were much too strict to engage in a tawdry affair. He wondered if perhaps he was pushing things too far on this trip and letting his need to experience life before his family tied him down with a wife and career overpower his good sense and inadvertently confusing his friend, but again, Hiiro wasn’t the sort to be easily manipulated. 

Confused but not to be deterred, he pushed the problem aside in favor of hooking up with his friends, but slowed on the way to the elevator at the sound of carefully concealed distress. The situation became even more complex when he noticed a reflection in the tile above the check in desk and recognized the long curl of a braid on the creamy carpet beside him. Wufei’s mind went back over what Hiiro had said and quickly surmised that Duo had heard the heartless comments, which explained why he was hiding behind the desk crying. It was in him to confront him over the matter, but when he thought it through it seemed as if he might just be pouring salt in the wound. It was so unlike Hiiro though, he decided perhaps the best course of action was to step back and observe for a while and headed upstairs. 

Hiiro tried to return to normal while he visited the shops and sites of the island, but everywhere he looked something reminded him of Duo. It seemed that every store offered something in the way of hula skirts or toy torches reminding him of the dynamic performance the night before. On the street his eyes were drawn to anything that remotely resembled a braid or contained a violet hue. He walked for hours, willing the pain away, but the later it grew the more it hurt until he finally decided fatigue must be fueling the depression. He hadn’t slept more than an hour since the day before and he certainly hadn’t eaten right so he headed back to the hotel where he could get some room service and sleep. The plan was working admirably until he spotted Duo coming out of a room with his custodian’s cart and heading into another. Anger flared with the need to know why, setting his feet on a path of righteous determination and before his good sense could kick in he burst into the room to find Duo bent over the couch in his shorts with a hand vac in hand. 

“Hiiro?” he breathed, shutting the noisy appliance off while he turned to face the intruder. 

The sight of Duo’s ass so deliciously displayed had wiped any and all coherent thought from Hiiro’s mind, leaving him to stand before his rival with literally nothing to say. 

Duo waited only moments before his stunned expression hardened and he turned back to his task. “I’m working,” he stated simply, but the sound of it was laced with so many undertones it was impossible to discern his mood. 

“Duo.” Why? How could you? Wasn’t there something more? Questions ran rampant through his mind but nothing would come clear. 

“Yes?” Duo sighed impatiently, once again turning to face him, but his eyes gazed anywhere but into Hiiro’s. 

Damn it! Hiiro took a step closer, completely unaware that he was going to until the motion registered in his mind. He felt his fingers twitch with the need to reach out and touch and taste the simmering desire drifting on the air. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” Duo informed him. “Guests aren’t allowed in…”

The words were lost to the maelstrom whirling in Hiiro’s mind, his need to possess this beautiful soul overpowering his senses until he finally had to close his eyes against the vision of him and ground through gritted teeth. “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel something.”

“What?” Duo scowled, backing away when Hiiro advanced, but his retreat was too slow. He gasped when he was suddenly swallowed up in the powerful, Japanese boy’s arms, but couldn’t find the will to break away. 

“I know you felt something,” Hiiro hissed, claiming his mouth in a sizzling kiss that drew a desperate whimper from Duo’s throat and slowly robbed him of the rigidity in his legs. 

Hiiro growled low and long when he felt him reluctantly melt into him, letting his hands roam the body that had so pleasured him the night before. His groggy mind replayed the rapturous union, each sigh and moan vividly recorded while he worked feverishly to make new ones. Duo pushed at him in token refusal, but his legs were wrapping tightly around his hips as Hiiro pushed him back onto the couch, his hands working to quickly remove his shorts, fingers stroking while his mouth fed on the delightful flavor of Duo’s passion. He needed this, needed it more than reason and drank in every drop of his sumptuous lover. Once again Duo’s body reacted with hungry abandon, arching back at his touch, his voice so sweetly embedded in Hiiro’s ears as he pushed his way within the incumbent heat of his body. 

“Duo!” he hissed, setting a smooth, quick rhythm that promised a quick rise to nirvana, but when he tried to kiss him, Duo had caught his lower lip in his teeth as his hands dug deliciously into Hiiro’s biceps while he bent back hard and Hiiro understood he was riding a tidal wave of devastating sensation. The sight made him want to take him like this a thousand more times, a million more should they find a way, but Duo’s need was demanding he bring this union to fruition. 

“Duo!” he growled curling himself around the shaking body beneath him, Duo’s shivering calling forth a primal determination while he let the beat flow and steadily escalate until Duo finally cried out, his back curving hard, the sight of excruciating release plainly displayed on his beautiful face, crushing Hiiro’s heart as his body surrendered in wave after wave of rapturous culmination. 

They lay in a seething heap, neither capable of moving while their bodies cooled. Hiiro couldn’t think of anything but finding a way to stay like this forever. His heart began to ache at the thought of pulling away, of being denied the bliss of simply touching him and he felt the plea to remain rise in his throat when he finally pulled away. The moment his vision focused on Duo’s face his breath caught and he jerked free when terror, pain and sorrow ripped through his soul. Duo raised his forearm quickly to hide the tears, but it was too late. Was he feeling guilty because of his girlfriend? Was he so afraid of loosing her making love with Hiiro would bring tears to his eyes? It had been so hard dealing with the idea that Duo had hurt him uncaringly, but to think he had somehow brought this pain to those laughing, violet eyes was a sorrow so profound he felt reality slip. 

“Duo…”

“Please go,” he begged, the anguish barely concealed in his tone ripping at the remaining shreds of Hiiro’s self respect and suddenly all he wanted was to do whatever Duo needed. 

“Are you…” he began but Duo wrenched away, turning to bury his face in the couch and cried piteously…

“Please.”

Hiiro watch in horror while he began to sob, his broken cries cutting deep into Hiiro’s heart while he slowly righted himself and backed away. What had he done? He was angry with him, but he never wanted this. So many emotions ran through him as he slowly forced his body to obey Duo’s request, his need to somehow fix whatever he had done causing him to pause at the door, but Duo’s continued sobs silenced any further objections to his banishment. Once outside the confusion redoubled when a fierce need to protect and provide overwhelmed him. He had to find a way to put that beautiful smile back on his lips. Somehow, he had to set things straight. 

It was amazing how the pain he’d been drowning in all day seemed to simply vanish while he made his way to his room. It didn’t matter anymore if Duo had used him. All he could think about was finding some way to make it up to him, but after showering and sprawling on his bed for half an hour nothing had come to mind. Was Duo in trouble with his girlfriend? Had she discovered his wayward fancies? He didn’t know who this girl was or why Duo would choose to play around on her, but it was obvious his weakness was costing them both more than it was worth. He wondered who and where she was while he rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, but thoughts of her and her relationship with Duo faded away when his delectable scent emanated from the pillow, lulling him into a fitful slumber. 

When next he opened his eyes the sun was streaming into his room and the clock revealed he had slept most of the night and following morning. His body was stiff and his eyelids heavy from too much rest as he pulled himself upright and headed for the bathroom. Daily necessities taken care of, he headed into the living quarters to find Trowa and Quatre cuddled on the couch watching videos of surfing competitions. 

“That’s Breman,” Quatre was saying, pointing out a particular board on the screen. His attention turned toward Hiiro along with Trowa’s when he stumbled into the room. 

“Morning,” Trowa grinned. 

“We thought you might sleep all day,” Quatre chuckled at the sloe eyed image he made. 

“Been a long week,” Hiiro grumbled, scratching his thigh while he stumbled toward the kitchenette and a cup of hot tea. 

“What is it?” Trowa asked when Quatre went oddly still. 

“Nothing,” he smiled, shaking off the distant mood. 

“You keep doing that,” Trowa persisted. 

“What?” 

“Drifting off when you talk to Hiiro,” he explained, tensing before he asked, “You don’t have a thing for him do you?”

“No!” Quatre gasped, going scarlet from ears to neck. “Of course not! I just wondered if…”

“If what?” Trowa pressed, needing to get to the bottom of his odd fascination. 

“Just…how he’s enjoying himself,” Quatre smiled. 

Trowa wasn’t buying it, but he’d come to trust him in the short time they’d known each other so he let it ride. Hiiro banged around in the small kitchenette for a minute before reappearing with three steaming mugs setting one down in front of each of his companions before plopping into the empty chair. Quatre smiled, pausing the video before retrieving the drinks and presenting one to Trowa. 

“Thanks.”

Hiiro waved off his gratitude, slumping back to sip from his mug. 

“Did you see Wufei last night?” Trowa asked through a half grin. 

“Not since yesterday afternoon,” Hiiro confessed. “Why? Didn’t he come back?”

“No,” Trowa chuckled. “But some girl named Barbette called and wanted to know if he was really the Emperor of China.”

Hiiro snorted. “What did you tell her?”

“Not until we managed to knock off his dad,” Trowa grinned, swallowing a good portion of his tea. 

“He’s going to get arrested someday,” Hiiro commented, flashing Quatre an amused glance when he laughed, but the expression shifted to one of deep thought when he considered his presence and apparent relationship with Duo. It seemed a callous thing to do, but he’d run out of ideas so he bit the bullet, said a silent apology to Trowa and asked, “So, Quatre. Who’s Hilde?”

He choked spewing tea so hard out his nose he soaked the vid screen six feet away. 

“Quatre!?” Trowa gasped, sitting forward to pat his distressed lover on the back while his emerald eyes glared accusingly at Hiiro, but all he did was sit and calmly sip his tea. 

“How…I mean…where did you hear that name?” Quatre rasped, wiping painful tears from his eyes. 

“Around,” Hiiro replied. “You know her?”

“Well…yes,” Quatre confessed, glancing nervously at Trowa who was regarding him with great interest. “But she’s nobody special. Just a local girl.”

“Any idea where I can find her?”

“Why?” he asked warily. 

“No reason,” Hiiro evaded, but the conversation had suddenly angered their blond companion. 

Quatre stood, drawing Trowa up with him while he glared at Hiiro. “I don’t know what sort of games you play,” he snipped. “But Hilde isn’t a part of the program. You’d do well to forget her name. Come on, Trowa. We need to practice,” he said, dragging his stunned lover behind him while he headed for the door. 

Trowa offered Hiiro an inquiring gaze, but received nothing but the sight of him sipping his tea in response. Hiiro smiled once the door closed, seeing the road open before him. All he had to do was find this Hilde to see what the next step was. It was going to have to wait however, as his appointment with Dr. Willmont was drawing near so he jumped in the shower to wake himself up, threw on some shorts and a tank, grabbed his bag and headed for Colonial. 

“Hiiro! I’m so glad you made it,” the doctor smiled, coming to greet him when he entered the staffroom where the group was gathering. 

“Thank you,” he replied, offering a firm handshake. “I appreciate the invitation.”

“We’ll see about that appreciation when I make an offer,” she replied, leading him toward a group of young teens and an older man that looked to be in his mid thirties. “This is Haiapo,” she explained when the man held out his hand in greeting. 

“You’re Hiiro Yui,” he smiled. 

“Yes,” Hiiro confirmed. 

“I’ve been following your work,” Haiapo informed him. “Gracie was gracious enough to share her findings when you sent your thesis,” he explained at Hiiro’s mild surprise. 

“I’m honored,” he nodded. 

“I understand you’re thinking about joining the team?” Haiapo went on. 

“Don’t make us seem too eager,” Dr. Willmont chuckled. “Or we won’t be able to afford him.”

Hiiro smiled, feeling his confidence return in spite of his troubles with Duo. The students, though only a year or so younger than he, instantly looked up to him, eyeing him reverently as if he were a doctor already working for Colonial which went a long way to restoring his deflated ego. There were three boys and two girls, only one of which went doe eyed upon his introduction so it wasn’t too bad. The other, Laani, was revealed to be an intellectual who was obviously involved with one of the boys making her not only a safe but interesting conversationalist. She and her native boyfriend, Nao, had founded the school’s dive team and were hopeful in their dreams to pursue a career at sea. Her friend, Tammy, appeared to be present for no more reason than to hang out with the toned, tanned boys that made this weekend dive thing their hobby. It took almost an hour to reach their destination, giving ample time for Tammy to reveal in great detail her latest trip to the mall while Hiiro spoke quietly with Dr. Willmont, who insisted he call her Gracie, and Haiapo. 

The algae on this particular beach had been a point of study for the team for well over two years. Laani had initiated the exercise for the purpose of gauging the possible increase in toxins around the islands shores and Gracie supported the team whole heartedly. Hiiro studied their findings while they drove discovering that there had been notable changes, but the data was full of holes and inconclusive. When they arrived the team piled out, donning their gear and hitting the water to scour the small reef some hundred yards off shore. Two hours into the sample retrieval Hiiro felt his center returning in the warm reality of the strong sunshine. This was what he wanted to do with his life, it always had been, only now the water seemed clearer, the sky a much richer blue and his heart swelled with the desire to thank Duo for making it all possible. It was difficult to separate the dream from reality when he spied someone moving around in a tide pool some distance down the beach, someone with a thigh length, chestnut braid. 

Duo glanced up, clearly shocked by Hiiro’s sudden presence when he pulled himself from the water and walked toward him, but the expression melted into nervous discomfort before he turned back to netting the small fish that had been trapped in the pool. 

“Hi,” Hiiro tried, uncertain of his reception. 

“What are you doing here?” Duo asked, slapping a little too hard at a fish that easily avoided the net. 

“Dr. Willmont asked me to join them,” Hiiro replied. “She’s with…”

“I know who she is,” Duo cut him off, foregoing the fish in favor of collecting small bits of coral from the bottom sand. 

It was clear Hiiro was not welcome, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He watched curiously while Duo selected different rocks, tossing some aside and placing others in a bucket nestled in the shallows. Curiosity got the better of him when he saw a thick, black binder nearby and several containers displaying small crabs, fish and more coral pieces. Duo ignored him completely, going about his task while Hiiro moved closer to the book and peered at its tantalizingly blank exterior. 

“Are you researching something?” he asked hopefully. 

“Yep,” was Duo’s only reply.

“Do you mind?” Hiiro asked, indicating he’d like to have a look at the book. 

Duo stopped to consider him, looking very much like he’d rather burn the book as let Hiiro touch it, but then his eyes drifted toward the group of kids and oceanographers still snorkeling the reef. “Knock yourself out,” he shrugged, turning back to his task. 

Hiiro smiled, shoving aside the giddy elation at having had any form of positive communication with the long haired beauty and greedily took up the book. Interestingly, it appeared Duo had been conducting his own experiments involving the toxin levels in the area, but his data was infinitely more concise. There had been significant increases in his findings and conclusive results proving the local ecology was to blame. 

“This is brilliant,” Hiiro concluded, reading over the information again. “How did you do this?”

“Common sense,” Duo replied securing a small, black and yellow sergeant major in one of his containers. 

“Haiapo’s team didn’t have these results,” Hiiro mused, mostly to himself, while he looked the data over again. 

“That’s because they’re looking in the wrong place,” Duo explained, coming over to sit on a rock and examine his newest catch. 

“Oh?” Hiiro wondered, setting the book in his lap. 

“They collect the algae because it’s the easiest way,” Duo explained. “But it’s a plant. It gets processed and renews constantly so what evidence gets trapped in its cellular structure is always changing and refreshing.” Hiiro felt the heat of excitement crawl slowly up his spine, but it had nothing to do with how sexy Duo looked in a short wet suit. “If you want to see what’s actually going on you have to look higher up the chain. These fish,” he indicated his small collection. “They all have gills that are specifically designed to extract substances from the water.”

“And the dead coral collects deposits in the porous surface,” Hiiro smiled. 

“That’s about it,” Duo confirmed, glancing uncertainly from under damp bangs. Hiiro’s eyes shown so brightly while he quietly smiled it took Duo’s breath away, forcing his gaze out to sea. “Shouldn’t you get back?” Duo asked, watching the others slowly making their way back to the boat. 

“Would you mind if I showed this to Gracie?” 

“Sorry,” Duo replied, retrieving his research with a possessive air that screamed ‘mine!’ “This isn’t for Colonial.” 

Hiiro nodded, unable to understand, but respected Duo’s wishes leaving him to his work to return to his group, but his heart was dancing on cloud nine. Duo was interested in oceanography. What were the odds that they would actually have so much in common? They were halfway back to the institute before he suddenly remembered he wasn’t actually available and sank into a melancholy once again. There had to be a solution, some way for them to co-exist without anyone getting hurt. The only possible answer rested with the discovery of who the mysterious Hilde was and how she factored into the equation. 

It took most of the afternoon to catalogue and record the day’s work, leaving precious little time to look for Duo’s girlfriend. He knew he wouldn’t get much of a chance the following day as the surf competition was scheduled and he wasn’t about to miss Trowa’s performance. His spirit sagged with the knowledge that he would be forced to wait another full day before beginning his investigation until he accidentally overheard a possible answer to his problem. 

“…still say he’s the hottest guy on Lanai,” Tammy was giggling to Laani. 

“Like he’d give you the time of day,” the native girl chuckled. 

“Available or not,” Tammy sighed, “You’ve gotta admit that’s some fine scenery.”

“Don’t let Hilde hear you talk like that.”

Hiiro nearly dropped his microscope upon hearing the name. 

“Oh, she needs to lighten up,” Tammy pished. “It’s her fault Duo had to drop out of school. The least she could do is let him have some fun.”

“I suppose she has her hands full enough as is,” Laani countered. 

“Is she still working for Lawson’s?”

Bingo.

Hiiro replaced the equipment and politely took his leave. Lawson’s was easy enough to find as it turned out to be a grocery store in the area, but when Hiiro inquired they said she’d moved on. He almost gave up hope until one of the cashiers offered the information that she had taken a position with a local daycare. It wasn’t too hard to find the place with the starry eyed girl’s explicit instructions and once on the grounds there was only one person attending the pick up of children that could possibly have been Duo’s girlfriend. 

She was a sweet little thing with short cropped, dark hair and a cute, little beret perched on top of her head. It was difficult thinking that she held the place he so dearly wanted in Duo’s heart, but it was comforting to know she appeared to be worthy of his affection. He hung back, watching from a distance and wondering how she would take it if he were to steal Duo’s heart. He didn’t want to hurt her, but it had come to a point that they were rivals whether they liked it or not. Hiiro’s heart was never going to give up; he knew that as well as he knew his own name. Feeling sorrowful for having to put any of them through a trying ordeal, he sighed and accepted the fact that he had to at least try. He couldn’t give up on Duo so easily, but just as he set his resolve to court the long haired beauty, a child ran from the playground and his blood ran cold while he watched Hilde hug him tight, his chestnut hair dangling in a shoulder length reflection of Duo’s braid and eyes of laughing amethyst. 

He couldn’t breathe. Duo had a child? He couldn’t have been more than seventeen! It didn’t compute, but there was the evidence happily showing his mother something he’d found in the sand. It was plain to see Hilde was the child’s parent as his face was round and his nose the spitting image of the girl. Hiiro’s heart sank. There was no way he could court Duo knowing he had a child depending on him. Perhaps they could become weekend lovers? No, he mentally slapped himself harshly for thinking it and got out of there as fast as he could. 

Duo had a child, a son of some two years or so. Tammy had blamed Hilde for Duo having to quit school. This was undoubtedly the reason. He couldn’t even imagine the difficulties of being a teenage parent. Hilde hadn’t looked more than sixteen, bringing a painful, stabbing guilt to Hiiro’s chest. He sure hoped she never found out about Duo and him; there was no reason for her to know that sort of pain, but he couldn’t just let it go. He had no idea what he could do, but there was no other recourse but to find a way to help the young couple out. 

Duo was working in the poolside café that night, but Hiiro avoided direct contact with him, needing some distance to think things through. Duo seemed grateful for the reprieve, also keeping to himself save a stray glance or shared smile. Wufei reappeared at some point during the day looking road hard and put away wet, crashed for six hours and popped back up again later in the evening when Hiiro, Trowa and Quatre were enjoying the breezy night by lounging around the pool. 

“How was the windsurfing?” Trowa asked, grinning knowingly while Wufei plopped down in an exhausted heap in the lounge beside him and Quatre. 

“I don’t know,” Wufei smiled with smug satisfaction. “We never left the beach.”

“You’re going to throw your back out at this rate,” Quatre laughed. 

“Good,” Wufei grinned. “A nice long stay at the hospital might be just the ticket.”

Hiiro laughed with everyone else, but refrained from commenting when one of the house staff approached and handed Wufei a slip of paper. He read it, seeming to sober for a moment before sticking it in his pocket. 

“Bad news?” Trowa inquired. 

“My father,” Wufei shrugged, kicking back to close his eyes and stretch out. 

“Aren’t you going to reply?” Quatre wondered. 

“He just wants to know how things went with Khushrenada.”

“And?” Hiiro prompted. 

“I haven’t met with him yet,” Wufei confessed. 

“You’re playing with fire,” Trowa warned. 

“I’ll call him tomorrow,” he sighed in resignation. 

“It sounds like you’re not all that thrilled about meeting with him,” Quatre observed, leaning back into Trowa’s embrace. 

Wufei snorted. “He’s just going to give me the same speech my father always does,” he replied, letting his gaze shift over to where a couple of new girls where taking an evening swim. “They all think the same way. Drown yourself in your work, take a proper wife with beneficial ties and grow old before you’re thirty.”

“You make it sound like a sentence,” Quatre replied. “You could always just say no.”

The silence that followed made it quite clear Quatre had said something very wrong, but he was unsure of why until Trowa explained. “Wufei is the heir to a great fortune. If he defies his family he’ll loose his birthright and be disgraced.”

“They’ve also chosen his wife,” Hiiro added, bringing Quatre’s taken aback expression all the way up to appalled. 

“Can’t you protest?” he argued in Wufei’s defense. 

“It’s not so bad,” he smiled somewhat dimly, sitting up to get a better look at the swimming maidens while he added, “But there’s no harm in enjoying myself while I can,” while he slipped away and into the pool. 

Quatre watched him go with some trepidation. “That’s so sad,” he sighed, curling into Trowa’s arms. 

“It’s always been that way,” Trowa explained. 

“But what happens when he falls in love?” Quatre wondered. 

Trowa had no ready reply, looking to Hiiro, but he appeared to be lost in another world while he stared silently into the café. Hiiro’s dreams that night were plagued by images of a child with dancing violet eyes, a child that steadfastly stood blocking the way no matter which way he turned and always there was Duo just out of reach. When he woke the next day he felt weary and fatigued, but hauled his ass out at the crack of dawn in support of Trowa and Quatre’s coming competition. 

The day began early when the tide provided the best waves. It seemed as if the entire island had congregated on the sand for the show. Even the local television station was on hand filming the highlights of the preliminaries. Trowa stayed close to Quatre, each timing their rides so that they could paddle back out together. Hiiro waved with Wufei and the three girls he’d shown up with that morning when they were both chosen to continue on to the finals. There was a break near midday while the sea shifted gears and everyone took advantage of the time to eat and frolic in the sand. Hiiro had jogged back up to the hotel to use the restroom when he saw Duo for the first time that day. He paused in his effort to push a hand truck filled with boxes of soda cans into a storeroom near the back of the poolside stage and Hiiro felt something inside him sit up and beg when Duo smiled. 

“Hi,” he greeted, opting to help unload the soda. 

“How are they doing?” Duo asked, obviously unaware of the standing of the competition. 

“Quatre’s third in the finals,” Hiiro informed him. 

Duo smiled. “And Trowa?”

It felt oddly nice to have Duo ask after his friend. “He’s second, but I think it’s only because Quatre’s trying to make him look good.”

Hiiro grinned openly when Duo laughed at the comment, feeling the overpowering need to taste him again. Unconsciously his eyes sought somewhere where they could discreetly retreat, unaware of the action until he noticed the blush on Duo’s face. Fear gripped his chest, but the expected rebuttal never came. Instead there was a thrill when Duo glanced around as if looking for the same thing and Hiiro suddenly had him in his arms, kissing him. 

“Where?” he rasped, unable to contain the tremendous desire bubbling inside him. 

Duo whimpered while he kissed him again and fumbled for the door of the storeroom. The moment it slammed shut they were all over each other, lips, clothes and hands flying everywhere. Hiiro wanted nothing more than to take him up to his room and love him long and slow like he had on their first night together, but circumstances would not permit such a rendezvous. He knew this shouldn’t be happening, but there was no denying what he felt and no way to stop it once it got started. Duo proved once again to be his ultimate dream lover, opening himself in ways that fried every neuron in Hiiro’s brain as he slammed into him, their bodies jolting hard against the closed door until they could no longer maintain and slid to the floor. The new position eased the way for a much deeper union, causing Duo to moan in utter rhapsody as he arched back and pulled Hiiro inside him. It was incredible, the most amazing thing Hiiro had ever felt, bar none and he eagerly devoured the passionate energy flowing from his long haired lover until they lay in a trembling knot, tightly wrapped together on the storeroom floor. 

“Damn it,” Duo swore, bringing reality crashing back in even before Hiiro had softened from his climax. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, fearing the tears Duo had cried last time they lost control. 

“Fine,” Duo sighed, sitting up when Hiiro pulled away, but he didn’t really seem fine. At least he wasn’t crying. The tension eased a little when he reached for his pants and commented, “We gotta stop doing this shit.”

“Sorry,” Hiiro offered, feeling strange that only now would his face warm over. “It’s just…”

“Yeah,” Duo agreed, cleaning off with a roll of paper towels from the storeroom stock before dressing. 

It was awkward and although that was nothing new Hiiro was determined not to let it end like before. “I want to do something for you.”

Duo’s eyes flashed dangerously while he stated firmly, “I don’t require compensation.”

Hiiro balked, realizing what the offer had sounded like. “No!” he gasped, stopping Duo from jerking the door open and running for the hills. “I didn’t mean it like that!” Damn it! “Just…wait…please.”

Duo sighed heavily, but let go of the door and turned to face him. 

Hiiro took a deep breath. “Listen, I know I don’t really know you but…”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Duo cut in, still sounding offended. 

“I know, but…I feel…”

“Guilty?” Duo supplied. It wasn’t the right word, but stunned Hiiro into a moment’s silence giving Duo enough time to add, “Then you shouldn’t play the game.”

That’s right. Hiiro was just a game to him, Hilde was who he loved. He’d seen the proof of it playing in the sand at the daycare. It was in him to be angry but the reality that it just didn’t matter overpowered his pride and he simply nodded. The action seemed to confuse Duo, leaving him with nothing more to say, so Hiiro ventured into the silence. 

“Could we maybe start over?”

“You want more?” Duo snorted. 

“No…yes…I mean…” Why couldn’t he think straight!? He shook the cob webs out of his mind and grasped the first thought that seemed right. “I don’t want to have sex with you.” Duo’s left brow rose. “Okay, that was wrong,” Hiiro sighed. “What I mean is we don’t have to have sex to be friends…right?” There was doubt in Duo’s eyes that begged him to continue. “Damn it, Duo,” he finally sighed, not knowing what else to say. “I just want you to be happy.”

There was a sudden, wondrous light in the violet eyes staring back at him, then they clouded over with unshed tears and he was suddenly looking at the storeroom door where it swung on its hinges and Duo beat a path as far away from him as possible. 

What happened? Did he say something wrong? Was he being too forward? He’d been honest, it was the only way he knew how to deal with tough situations like this, but nothing he did seemed to help. Defeated, he made his way back down to the beach and watched Quatre take first place leaving Trowa with third and some female pro named Lisa in second, but the event seemed like a distant dream. His mind kept circling back to Duo, but he was still coming up empty. There was a party on the beach that night where his friends tried repeatedly to draw him out to no avail until he realized his presence wasn’t helping support them; he was being a wet towel. Shortly after the remains of the luau’s bonfire had been relit, he eased out of the joyous jubilation and went back upstairs. The thrill of seeing Duo perched, ready to knock on the door to his room nearly knocked him back in the lift, but he moved forward slowly when he turned skittish eyes on him. 

“Hi,” he smiled cautiously, wanting anything but to scare him away. 

“Hi,” Duo replied nervously, wiping his palms on his shorts. An awkward moment passed before he commented, “I heard Trowa took third.”

Hiiro nodded, easing forward. “I had a feeling Quatre was carrying him,” he smiled. 

“No,” Duo shook his head. “He’s good; he just needs a little more experience.”

“Maybe after we graduate.” Duo was still there, standing right in front of him as brilliant as the first time he’d laid eyes on him and it still took his breath away. 

“This is your last year?” 

“One more semester,” Hiiro confirmed, feeling unreasonably giddy over Duo’s apparent interest.

“Already, huh?” Duo chuckled, explaining, “You guys are so young,” at Hiiro’s confusion. 

“It’s an accelerated course,” he explained. The shadow that crossed Duo’s face was easy enough to read since he knew he hadn’t been given the chance to finish high school, much less attend college. “Everyone is eligible,” he commented, liking the hungry light that sparked in Duo’s eyes. 

The elevator doors opened, spilling a couple of giddy girls and their dates into the hallway, creating another awkward, forced silence between them until they disappeared into a room down the hall. Unwilling to let this chance get away, Hiiro threw caution to the wind and quickly asked, “Would you like to come in? I could make some tea.”

He nearly choked on his heart when Duo’s shoulders visibly relaxed and he smiled, “Yeah, thanks.”

He didn’t know what was going on, but he damn sure didn’t want to mess this opportunity up so he toed off his shoes by the door, offering Duo a small, self conscious shrug when he smiled at the custom. 

“Have a seat,” he offered, heading for the kitchenette. Where was the tea? Water, keep it together. “Do you like chai?” 

“Anything’s fine,” Duo replied and Hiiro glanced back and tried to remind the little imp that was crowing triumphantly in his head that nothing had been solved. He thanked Wufei’s ancestors that he always packed personal luxuries like his favorite soap and tea bags while he set two mugs of water in the microwave to heat. “Are you hungry?” he asked, looking in the small refrigerator for a snack of some sort. 

“No,” Duo replied, sounding amused. 

Hiiro chuckled at himself then took a deep breath and answered the call of the microwave, dropping the tea bags in the hot water before returning to Duo’s side. 

“Thanks,” he smiled, reaching for his mug, but Hiiro had frozen and was just standing there staring at him. He raised a brow in question that seemed to break whatever spell had overtaken his companion and Hiiro’s ears reddened while he handed the drink over and sat in the neighboring chair. 

The silence grew while they tasted their tea, stirring a desperation in Hiiro’s gut to speak but what to say? He couldn’t ask about Duo’s life without prying into what he already knew was a very private situation and the weather was certainly an inane subject at that point. 

“You are so odd,” Duo ventured, chuckling softly when the gentle tone caused Hiiro to start. 

Hiiro laughed it off and tried to relax. “Sorry,” he offered, though he wasn’t sure what for. 

Duo considered him for a moment while he sipped his tea then his eyes shifted as if coming to some conclusion. Hiiro swallowed nervously when he leaned forward and set his cup on the table, turning his gaze upon him. His skin prickled when Duo’s eyes moved slowly over his body, the growing hunger in his gaze sending a shiver down Hiiro’s spine that instantly lit his groin on fire. 

“When do you leave?” Duo asked, but his tone had changed to one of underlying desire. 

“Day after tomorrow,” Hiiro breathed, clutching his mug. 

Duo nodded, seeming to add this information into his equation then sighed, ran his fingers through his thick bangs and rose. Hiiro’s breath stilled when he moved closer, his knees parting unconsciously when Duo bent and laid his hands on the arms of the chair. He wanted this, wanted it so bad he had to clench his teeth to keep them from chattering. Duo was coming to him of his own free will. He was fully aware of what he was doing, there was no heated flare of blinding passion to blame and Hiiro felt the warmth of him slowly engulf him when his mouth slowly descended over his own. 

The mug fell to the floor, spilling its contents in the forgotten realm of reality while Hiiro’s hands found something better to do. Duo’s legs pushed forward, nuzzling with an insistent knee that allowed him to straddle Hiiro’s lap, the purring moans rising in his throat feeding the fire while Hiiro’s hands cupped his ass and pulled him firmly downward. They moaned in the intensive heat, neither willing to part while their bodies began to move in harmony. Hiiro pressed upwards, pulling Duo’s sumptuous body hard against him while he whimpered and aided his efforts in his most willing of ways. Hiiro had no idea how long they’d been at it, but it was definitely not long enough and he groaned unhappily when Duo pulled away. There was fear that this was it, the final taste, Duo’s way of saying goodbye, but instead of moving from Hiiro’s lap he laid his forehead on the breathless Japanese boy’s and quietly asked…

“Let me stay?” 

Hiiro growled loudly, crushing him in his arms while he suddenly rose and kissed him with a desperate need. Duo yelped, but never missed a beat, wrapping his legs tighter while Hiiro gripped his ass and carried him into his room, kicking the door shut behind them before falling on the bed. The dark thought that Duo just wanted another roll in the hay before he left rose up to taunt him, but he crushed it mercilessly, not caring about the why or what if and proceeded to drown himself in the sinful delights of his most precious dream come true. It seemed like less than the blink of an eye when he suddenly found himself looking down on the breathtaking beauty of Duo’s spent passion and felt the world tilt once more. 

“Incredible,” Hiiro whispered, claiming the eager kiss the comment drew from Duo’s lips. “You make me never want to stop.”

“Then don’t stop,” Duo breathed, fanning the embers of the smoldering flame as he lifted his hips and claimed another heated kiss. 

“Duo…”

“Please,” he begged. “Just let me have this, if only for a little while.”

Hilde’s face flashed in Hiiro’s mind, sending a stabbing pain through his chest when he was confronted with the reality that Duo was not his to claim. Whatever they shared was, in reality, nothing more than a dream, a temporary escape from the very real responsibilities of life, but there wasn’t a force in Heaven or Earth that could have pulled him from his arms that night. Time and again they reveled in the perfection between them, a harmony neither could quite comprehend until the world had completely faded away and nothing remained but the tender touch of lazy fingertips and the unbridled passion of two souls coming together as one. 

When the sun finally succeeded in invading their dream, Hiiro felt the fear even before he woke that when he opened his eyes, Duo would be no more than a pleasant memory, but much to his surprise he was laying in a quite slumber by his side. The sight warmed him to the core, his heart overflowing with unnamed emotion while a small smile curled his lips. He was even more beautiful in the morning with the happy rays of the sun dancing in his mused hair and dust motes circling his thick eye lashes. Hiiro was so taken by the image he reached out in his need to touch him, to know for certain that he was real and brushed one long piece of disheveled hair from his beautiful brow. Duo stirred, bringing another smile to softly curl Hiiro’s lips. 

“Morning.” 

Duo smiled then scooted over and claimed a small, chaste kiss. Hiiro sighed softly, pulling him into his arms and prayed for time to stop. It lasted a mere few minutes before reality once again slashed at their dream when Duo’s stomach growled loudly. 

“Sorry,” he chuckled. 

“Guess it’s time for breakfast,” Hiiro joined him. 

“Good,” Duo agreed, extracting himself. “I’m starving.”

Hiiro smiled, having already assessed that fact and headed for the bathroom. Once relieved, he vacated while Duo took his turn and pulled on a pair of shorts. In his heart he hoped they wouldn’t be necessary for long, but refused to give in to his carnal desires so easily. Duo had granted him the pleasures of his passion, but Hiiro wanted more than that. However, this desire bore the thorn of the knowledge of Hilde and the child and once again he was faced with the reality that Duo could never be his. Unwilling to taint this wonderful morning he pushed the problem aside and suggested…

“Room service?”

Duo was quiet for a moment then poked his head out and suggested hopefully, “There’s a diner in town that makes killer waffles.”

He wanted to go out? Wasn’t he concerned that someone would see them together and tell Hilde? Half of him was ready to refuse in his desire to protect Duo from the consequences of their actions, but most of him was thrilled by his outward acceptance of him, so he readily agreed, switching the shorts for a pair of slacks and a comfortable shirt. Duo had slipped back into his shorts, but gratefully accepted Hiiro’s offer of a clean shirt before they exited the room and ran headlong into Quatre and Trowa. 

“Duo?!” Quatre gasped, glancing quickly between him and Hiiro’s glowing visage. “What’re you doing here?” he asked suspiciously while his gaze darkened upon seeing Hiiro’s hand rest on the small of Duo’s back. 

It was obviously a tense confrontation to all involved, but Duo opted to address the issue at some other time, replying with a short, “We were just leaving,” as he stepped around the stunned blond. 

Quatre watched them walk away with no small amount of concern dancing in his eyes until Trowa quietly questioned his actions and he buried whatever was bothering him in favor of the happiness he felt while at Trowa’s side. However, his continued odd behavior around Hiiro whenever Duo was involved was beginning to wear a sore spot on Trowa’s patience. As much as he didn’t want to put any strain on their budding relationship, his need to understand was growing as suspicions and doubt began to cloud his mind. Had there once been something between Quatre and Duo?

“Have you known him long?” Hiiro ventured, boldly holding Duo’s chair when he sat at the diner. Much to his great satisfaction Duo didn’t even flinch at the possessive behavior, flashing him an amused smile instead. 

“Who? Quatre?” Duo asked, looking the menu over. 

“You seem to know each other fairly well.”

“He’s been coming here a few times a year since we were kids,” Duo explained, adding, “His dad’s loaded,” with a wry chuckle. “He jets all over the world just to keep his old man company. I guess his dad figures Quat will outgrow the whole beach bum, surfer thing and eventually take over the business.”

“But Quatre has other ideas,” Hiiro surmised from Duo’s tone. 

He smiled, glancing at the approaching waitress while he replied. “Yeah. He has his sites on the world championship.”

“He and Trowa share the same dream,” Hiiro smiled, turning his attention to the menu while Duo applied his to the middle aged woman that had come to attend them. 

“Morning,” she grinned widely and Hiiro’s cheeks flushed for some odd reason.

“Hi, Millie,” Duo greeted, reminding his rosy cheeked companion just how local he really was. “How’s the pineapple pancakes?”

“Sweet and sticky,” she chuckled, smiling so hard her chubby face nearly caved in when Duo’s ears pinked.

“I’ll have a triple stack,” he informed her. 

“Who’s your friend?” Millie asked in her ‘neighborhood sponge, can’t wait to get to the gossip fence and spill this one’ sort of way. 

“Hiiro,” Hiiro replied confidently, offering a smug smile. 

“Sweet,” she smiled, smacking her gum loudly. “What’ll ya have?”

“Hot tea, toast and the fruit bowl.”

Duo stared silently while the woman jotted the information down then went away. He was still staring long afterward, prompting Hiiro to inquire…

“What?”

“Is that it? Hot tea, bread and fruit?”

“It’s an adequate meal,” Hiiro defended, feeling humorously foolish under Duo’s scrutiny. “What?” he chuckled, not understanding his reaction. 

Duo snorted setting his menu aside while he mumbled, “No wonder you’ve got abs like a Greek god.”

The compliment caught him off guard, infecting his temples with the rosy color of his ears and he suddenly laughed at the utter absurdity of the situation. “I feel like I’m back in Jr. high.”

“Should we carve our initials in the table?” Duo chuckled. 

The idea insinuated a desire for permanency that prickled along Hiiro’s spine, but he didn’t know what to make of it. The conversation turned to musings over each other’s youth. Hiiro wondered what it was like growing up in the islands and Duo confessed to having lost his parents at a very young age. Each had made their way in the world with pure grit and determination and the conversation flowed easily throughout the meal until Hiiro inadvertently asked what high school he had attended and Duo quietly shied away. Kicking himself for the oversight, Hiiro backed off, insisting on paying the bill and delighted with the grace in which Duo accepted. He had been afraid his generosity might be misconstrued as some sort of payoff, but Duo seemed to understand his need to provide and graciously allowed the indulgence. 

“There’s a dive charter going out to the northwest reef this afternoon,” Duo commented. “If you’d like you could come along.”

A huge grin spread over Hiiro’s lips, but then wilted into a pout. “Wufei wanted me to go to his meeting,” he recalled. 

Duo looked uncertain and Hiiro felt awful seeing the disappointment in his eyes. “What time?”

“Three o’clock,” Duo brightened. 

It’d be close. “I’ll be there.”

The smile he received nearly blocked out the sun, shattering the veil of reality and suddenly all Hiiro could see was a bright future standing right by Duo’s side. They finished up and left the diner hand in hand. It was like being caught up in a wonderful tide and Hiiro happily let the current take him where it would, but he came crashing back down when Duo suddenly turned them onto the sandy, sparsely weeded walk of a small, run down beach shack some distance down the coast from the hotel. 

“Where are we?” Hiiro asked, ducking to avoid the broken bamboo blind that had once served as a door. 

It had been replaced by a much more secure wooden plank complete with a door knob which Duo opened as he led him inside and declared, “My place.”

Hiiro stumbled in more ways than one, then looked around in wide eyed wonder. It was one room save for the small bathroom that jutted off the far end. The windows were hung with old bed sheets that had been nailed to the walls and pulled back with clothes pins to let the sunshine in. A couch that looked as if it was junked in 1965 sat on three legs beneath the long window to his right, a small table as weathered as any driftwood on the beach held a laptop to his left. Beside it was a large bookcase filled with volumes whose titles blew the doors off what little purchase Hiiro still held over his senses. Inverse Methods in Physical Oceanography, Isotopes and Climates, An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics, the list went on and on. 

“Make yourself at home,” Duo told him, moving into the little bathroom. 

At home? He could die here and be happy as a clam. The shack was everything he’d ever dreamed and a multitude of things he’d never thought of. Duo’s experiments lined the shelves of a second bookcase where Hiiro found a small picture of the boy he’d seen with Hilde. Oddly, the image of the child top end down in a sandy hole somewhere, his pug face laughing merrily, brought only joy to Hiiro’s heart. He was such a cute kid; he could see Duo all over him. Chuckling softly at the silly image he presented, he noted the sound of the shower and absently imagined Duo stepping beneath the spray. He recognized the sergeant major fish in a jar beside the picture and moved on to wonder about the presence of a tattered old bible tucked amid the treasures of Duo’s life. The place was amazing in its simplistic perfection. Here was the epitome of his hopes and dreams, a place emblazoned with the need to know yet utterly devoid of sociological ties. The scent of hot steam and soap rolled into the little room as Duo’s bathroom appeared to have no door, reminding him that his sensuous lover was currently naked and covered in suds. Interest piqued, he crept into the other room to find Duo wet, soapy and in full view as he didn’t have a shower curtain either. 

“Damn,” he breathed, resisting the urge to help himself to some of that. 

Duo leaned his head back out of the spray and Hiiro’s groin tightened considerably when his lips slowly curled. “You coming?” he smiled, sliding one hand slowly down his chest, his fingers raking over a dusky nub that stood eagerly proud on his smooth chest while a thick trail of suds meandered down the tanned, sublime length of his body. “Or would you rather watch?” he asked, moving his long fingers toward his hardening interest.

Hiiro swallowed hard while his body reacted with gusto. He liked what he was seeing, liked it very much as Duo’s hand slowly cupped his cock and balls, but the need to touch him outweighed any voyeuristic fantasy so he pulled his shirt off, dropped his pants and stepped into the shower, taking Duo’s willing body and hungry mouth as one. It was happening again just like the first time. Duo laid back against the cracked tile wall opening himself to Hiiro’s demands. He was well under way to sanctioning the union when a stray thought prickled in his mind. 

“What?” Duo breathed, clearly unhappy with his lover’s reluctance to continue. 

“You’re incredible,” Hiiro assured him, kissed him again before letting his leg down. Duo looked at him uncertainly while his body thrummed with the excitement of having been so deliciously prepared, but his eyes were fearful and unsure. “I’ve never met anyone as…receptive as you,” Hiiro confessed. 

“Is that bad?” Duo chuckled uncomfortably. 

“Hell, no.” Anything but. “It’s just…I hate to assume…is this really what you want?”

The doubt washed from Duo’s eyes to be replaced by a saucy smile. “Can’t you tell?” he asked, hooking his leg in Hiiro’s elbow again. 

Hiiro growled and ran his groping hand down the curve of his ass, pulling him closer so that his cock glided teasingly over Duo’s entry. “I’m not adverse to switching places,” Hiiro groaned, placing his other hand in the small of Duo’s back to guide his hips forward. 

“Later,” Duo hissed, arching back as he presented himself. “Maybe later,” he groaned, sinking his fingers into Hiiro’s biceps as his body was slowly impaled. Hiiro couldn’t stop as his luscious demands robbed him of his good sense and he quickly set a vigorous pace in his need to satiate them both. “H…harder!” Duo cried, straining for that little bit more and Hiiro completely lost it. 

“You can’t be real!” he growled, kissing him hard while he slammed into him, his hand straying from Duo’s back to the showerhead for better control, but Duo proved him wrong over and over. 

Again and again he cried out for more, drawing such passion from Hiiro’s heart he was certain it would burst and felt very much as if he had reached the apex of existence when his body finally surrendered. Duo screamed, his hands flailing incoherently while he shook in Hiiro’s trembling embrace, knocking the shampoo and soap from the little windowsill while the showerhead groaned and surrendered to Hiiro’s steely grip. They hung from the tattered thread of sanity that remained, trying to catch their breath, each unable to take that first step back into reality until Hiiro saw something suspiciously reddish brown swirl down the drain. 

“Shit!” he gasped, jerking away. “Did I hurt you?” Damn it!

“I…don’t think so,” Duo replied, still dazed and confused. 

“Let me see,” Hiiro insisted, trying to turn him around, but Duo only laughed and lay against the wall in a boneless heap. “Duo…”

“I’m fine,” he chuckled. 

“Damn it,” Hiiro groaned, seeing more of the reddish color swirling down the drain. “I’m sorry…but you wanted it so bad and…”

“You didn’t hurt me,” Duo smiled, leaning forward to kiss him softly while his hand slipped down into Hiiro’s, but he was beside himself until Duo lifted his hand and showed him the small cut on the heel of his palm. 

Hiiro’s eyes opened wide with realization, the relief of knowing the blood wasn't Duo’s clear to see until he turned to see the bent and broken showerhead. “Sorry,” he chuckled, loving the affection in Duo’s smile when he leaned in and kissed him again. 

Duo insisted on properly cleaning and dressing the cut before they turned their attention toward the remainder of the day. 

“I meant what I said,” he commented while they dressed. 

“You’ll have to refresh my memory,” Duo chuckled. “I was probably out to lunch when you said it.”

Hiiro laughed, leaning over to where Duo was tying his shoes to steal a small kiss. “I’m ok with switching roles,” he reiterated. 

“I thought you were happy with how things are,” Duo replied, reaching for his shirt. 

“That’s an understatement,” Hiiro snorted. “But I don’t want you to think I expect it.”

Duo smiled, claiming another kiss before he replied, “I’ll keep it in mind, but we need to go if you’re going to hook up with your friend.”

Shit, Wufei. He’d almost forgotten. Given a clear objective, they quickly finished dressing and Hiiro waited while Duo dug a small tank and dive mask out from under the couch. It was simply amazing how this place just kept coughing up more treasures. Duo had just hitched the tank over his shoulder when the door suddenly opened and a small boy ran into the room. 

“Solo!?” Duo gasped, glancing with nervous trepidation at Hiiro’s stunned face while the child flung himself on him and hugged his neck. Hiiro turned at the sound of a soft gasp to find Hilde standing in the doorway. “What’re you guys doing here this time of day?” Duo asked, standing and placing himself strategically between Hiiro and the girl. 

“I…I’m sorry,” Hilde offered, apparently as shocked as Hiiro. “He wanted his squishy ball so…” Her words trailed off when Duo suddenly turned and dug around the shack until he found a small ball with long tentacles that the child in his arms latched onto while he continually repeated something that sounded suspiciously like ‘squishy, squishy, squishy’.

“There you go,” Duo smiled, avoiding looking at Hiiro altogether while he ushered the girl outside. Hiiro followed at a respectable distance, closing the door behind them and waiting by the door. “Are you still working late tonight?” Duo was saying while he led her to a modest, compact car by the curb. 

“Yes,” she replied, looking back at Hiiro. “Are you going to be home?”

“Of course,” Duo assured, helping her into the car before going around and opening the passenger side. Hiiro shifted just enough to watch him strap the child into his car seat. “I’ll be by to get him around six,” he reminded her, kissing the boy on the forehead before closing the door.

Hiiro watched in silence while the car drove away, letting Duo take the time he needed to stand by the curb and collect himself. Part of him hoped Duo would come clean and confess his relationship and child, but he held little hope of that when Duo turned and flashed a brilliant, hopelessly insincere smile. 

“Ready?”

**

“Why do you look like this is your hanging instead of mine?” Wufei grumbled, fussing with his little, black bow tie. 

Hiiro snorted in amusement at the comment. “You look fine,” he told him for the hundredth time. “Relax.”

“Do I smell?” 

“What?” Hiiro laughed in astonishment. 

“Mel doused me in cherry flavored body oil,” he grumbled while sniffing his forearm. 

Hiiro shook his head, going so far as to lean over and sniff his shoulder before informing him, “You smell fine.”

It was no wonder Wufei was nervous about his meeting since Treize Khushrenada was not only a super successful attorney, but someone Wufei’s father respected and admired. How he was received by this man would no doubt have a lasting impression on his life, hence the suits and rented limo. Hiiro felt a tad ridiculous when leaving the hotel, but pulling into the tall, iron gates of the Khushrenada estate changed his mind. This was obviously a man of wealth and power and he suddenly understood his friend’s need to have an ally by his side. Trowa had also offered to come, but one look into his doe eyed expression had Wufei pointing him at the nearest exit. 

The driver seemed familiar with the grounds, pulling up in front of the half-round stair that led to the tall, double door entry. The walk was lined with red rose bushes, an uncommon sight on the island, and marble statuary depicting dancing angels in the arms of hideous demons. As they walked it became clear that these strange sculptures told a tale and by the time they reached the stairs Hiiro understood that it was the demons who were mercilessly enslaved. 

“His Excellency is expecting you.”

Wufei looked for all the world as if the grand mansion with its enormous chandelier and high, arched halls meant nothing to him when he strode proudly into the foyer with Hiiro in tow. 

“The master will be with you momentarily,” the butler informed them, offering a shallow bow which was all Hiiro figured he could manage in the tux he was wearing. 

“Nice place,” he commented, walking over to inhale the sweet scent of a red rose that jutted from an arrangement of no less than three dozen and adorned the top of a marble pedestal along the wall. 

“It was my father’s,” came a voice of spun silk, causing them to turn and look up the sweeping staircase to their left. Hiiro swallowed silently while he watched a tall, ginger haired man gracefully descending, his posture that of a nobleman and his eyes as sharp and deadly as a lion on the prowl. “Welcome,” he offered, stopping at the bottom stair where he settled into a pose that would have looked ridiculous on a lesser man. “I trust you’ve been enjoying your stay?”

“Y…yes, thank you,” Wufei replied, having to clear the squeak out of his voice. 

Their host smiled a little too brightly and Hiiro’s built in gaydar picked up a tiny blip when his eyes flicked down Wufei’s body. This could get interesting. Pleasantries were exchanged, introductions made and they were invited into the garden that sprawled behind the main house for lunch which consisted of a gourmet menu the likes of which Hiiro had never seen. Wufei hardly batted an eye during the extravagant affair, seemingly at ease while he maintained an intelligent conversation with their host. Hiiro was impressed, but hadn’t really expected anything less. Wufei had been raised in this sort of ambiance, trained and conditioned to a gentlemen’s life, but looking around at the immaculate grounds and lavish housing, Hiiro wondered if he would be happy in this world. 

“How did you and Chang senior meet?” Hiiro interjected at an opportune time. 

Treize paused to consider him a moment before answering. “We attended college together.”

“Stanford?” Hiiro persisted, ignoring Wufei’s curious gaze. 

“Yale.” 

“You’re father didn’t approve of your ambition to attend Steinhart,” Hiiro recalled, turning his attention to his simmering Chinese friend. 

Wufei flashed him a dark look, but recovered quickly. “I would prefer to make a name for myself rather than stand on those of my forefathers,” he explained. 

Treize smiled approvingly. “An admirable trait. I wonder, what are your plans after graduation?”

“The wedding will be in July, right?” Hiiro asked, hoping his instincts were correct or he might just be causing trouble. 

“Wedding?” Treize prompted and Hiiro smiled behind his cup when his gaydar blipped again. 

“An arrangement of Father’s,” Wufei explained. “She is a worthy bride. Her family has been in long, good standing in Hong Kong for many years.”

“I see,” Treize nodded. 

Hiiro was sure of his interest because of the shadow playing in his eyes, but how he could use that to Wufei’s advantage was a difficult matter. “It’s so beautiful here,” he commented, looking around the lavish garden. “You must love living in the islands.”

“Yes,” he nodded distractedly. 

“I think I’ll enjoy it,” Hiiro went on. “Is it this nice in the winter season?”

“Are you planning to work on Lanai after graduation?” Treize inquired, glancing at Wufei with new interest. 

“I believe Dr. Willmont of the Colonial Oceanographic Institute will be offering me a position,” Hiiro explained. 

“Gracie is a brilliant woman,” Treize smiled. “You’re fortunate.”

“I agree,” Hiiro returned, shifting his gaze none to subtly toward Wufei. 

A light went on in Treize’s blue eyes and his entire posture suddenly shifted. “Perhaps I should take a leaf out of her book and secure my next star attorney as well,” he smiled, sipping his wine while Wufei’s eyes widened with comprehension. 

“You don’t mean me?” he gasped softly. 

“And why not?” Treize smiled smugly. “You’re top in your class and are preceded by exemplary recommendations.”

“My father would have a stroke!” Wufei gasped, quickly composing himself. “Forgive me, but it’s out of the question. I have already accepted a position with my father’s firm.”

“And the hand of a woman you don’t love,” Hiiro tossed in. 

“That is none of your concern,” Wufei snipped, losing patience with Hiiro’s meddling. 

“How very barbaric,” Treize observed, calling Wufei’s attention back to him. “I shall have to have a long talk with my old chum.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Wufei stated firmly, rising from his seat. “Thank you for lunch,” he said, flashing a dangerous glare at Hiiro when he started to speak. “I’m afraid we must be going.”

“Wufei,” Treize called before they disappeared around the corner of the house, his eyes dancing with secret plans while he said, “My offer stands firm. Think about it.” 

The moment they were out of sight Wufei smacked Hiiro hard in the back of the head. “What in the hell were you trying to do!?” he growled, quickening his steps while Hiiro laughed and rubbed his head. 

“Keep you from digging your own grave,” he replied. 

“You have no idea what sort of fire you’re playing with,” Wufei groaned, stopping a moment to rub at his eyes. “When my father hears about this…”

“Maybe he’ll realize how miserable he’s making you and wise up,” Hiiro cut in. Wufei glared over his knuckles for a second then dropped his arms to his side and swore softly. “Hey,” Hiiro consoled. “It’ll work out one way or another, right? I just can’t stand to see you stuffed in a cage and hand fed like some damn parakeet.”

Gratitude washed through Wufei’s eyes, but it was tempered by his anger and frustration. “I know,” he sighed. “Come on,” he said, draping an arm over his shoulder. “I have a date with Misty in about an hour that’s going to help me pretend this whole thing never happened.”

“Hey!” Duo called from the aft deck of the Lunar Wave. 

Hiiro felt his spirit take wing just looking at his beautiful smile. “Hi!” he beamed, tossing his bag to him before jumping aboard. 

There were several people already there, two of which were stocking a built-in cooler along the starboard side with beer, soda and water. The woman glanced up, offering him a smile to go with the appraising rake of her eyes, but the man stood grinning widely while he tossed a beer Hiiro’s way. 

“Welcome aboard!” he grinned, popping the top of the can still in his hand which explained the rather large beer belly flopping over his belt. 

“Thanks, but I’m underage,” Hiiro smiled, tossing the beer back. 

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” he teased, but tucked the beer into the ice just the same. 

“This is Captain Karl and Kitty,” Duo introduced. 

“Hi, I’m…”

“Hiiro,” Kitty cut in with a wicked grin. 

“Right,” Hiiro smiled, eyeing Duo’s back as he had suddenly taken up the cooler stocking task. “Thanks for having me. I didn’t have time to make payment arrangements, but…”

“Like we’d let Duo’s date pay for the ride,” Captain Karl snorted, making Hiiro’s ears go as red as the back of Duo’s neck. 

“Daaad! Tomo’s eating the bait again!”

“’Scuse me,” he sighed, heading forward to answer the young lady’s call. Kitty followed him at a slower pace, tossing glances over her shoulder that promised very little privacy on the trip. 

“Sorry,” Duo offered when they were alone. “They just assumed…”

“Then they assumed right,” Hiiro smiled, stepping forward to claim that kiss he’d been wanting all afternoon. 

The fact that Duo was introducing him to his friends was not lost to him. It was very odd behavior for someone already involved with the mother of his child, which sparked the hope in Hiiro that perhaps things with Hilde weren’t as solid as he had assumed. Maybe he was just humoring her because of the child? It was fairly clear from Duo’s sexual appetite that he was inherently gay, but it wasn’t all that uncommon for gay men to go through a time of confusion, some finding solace in the arms of a girl which at times resulted in offspring that would never have happened later in life. Had this been what happened to Duo? But if that were true, why was he hiding it? One explanation was that he hadn’t given up on a relationship with her, but Hiiro didn’t like that one so he tucked it all inside his head and resolved to enjoy his afternoon with Duo. 

“Hi!” They broke apart with violent speed each blushing furiously and looking anywhere but at the twelve year old girl grinning at them. “Dad wants to know if you need tanks,” she asked of the scarlet Japanese boy. 

“Um…ahem…yes. I didn’t bring any gear.”

“Okay!” she chirped, granting Duo a congratulatory smirk before running forward again. 

Hiiro was very glad there was a cabin between them and the rest of the crew because he was sure he was about to internally combust. 

“That’s Chell,” Duo informed him. “Captain Karl and Kitty’s…”

“Daughter,” Hiiro nodded. 

“Soda?” Duo smiled. 

“Water,” Hiiro nodded, glancing warily forward again. 

Duo laughed, but acquiesced. “In the middle of the ocean and he drinks water.”

“Builds stamina,” Hiiro smirked, catching the bottle and laughing when a second came sailing his way. 

Three more men joined them and Hiiro met Chell’s brother, Tomo, who was her elder by a year, before they cast off. The men were tourists from the mainland visiting the islands on holiday and spent much of their time asking Captain Karl ridiculous questions about the marine life in the area and ogling Kitty. They dropped anchor alongside a shallow reef that had a sheer drop off its southern side and prepared to dive. Hiiro was supplied with a small but adequate tank, mask and flippers, and given the basic run down on the local currents and aquatic life. 

“Look!” Chell sang out from her perch on top of the cabin, pointing to the southwest where a tall spout of water preceded the appearance of a whale’s tail rising from the sea. 

“Humpback,” Duo explained. 

“Are they friendly?” Andy, one of the tourists asked while they watched more spouts appear on the horizon. 

“They’re harmless,” Captain Karl assured them. 

Hiiro asked Duo about the local population while they finished gearing up then followed him into the ocean. Duo knew the reef well, leading him to all the best spots to see the action. The kids stayed on board with Kitty while Captain Karl treated his guests to the sights along the ocean floor, but Duo was obviously as familiar as the captain with this place so he and Hiiro ventured off on their own. There were moments when Hiiro felt the thrill of Duo’s touch when he needed to get his attention. One such moment alerting him to the presence of a large, white tipped reef shark that glided lazily nearby. Another drew his attention to a green sea turtle that surprised him by swooping in to satisfy it’s curiosity over these strange intruders and played with them for a time. It was pure heaven being there with Duo by his side, more than he had ever dared dream as the beautiful colors and dancing lights played over an ever changing landscape that had existed since the dawn of time. Hiiro felt at peace there among the vibrant contrasts and delicate balance of nature, submerged in the very womb of creation, the brilliancy of it all overshadowed only by the playful light in Duo’s eyes. 

Hiiro moved around him, gently brushing his drifting braid aside to see what he was doing and grinned internally when he saw a brightly colored Spanish Dancer curling around his hand and arm. The creature suddenly broke loose, flipping through the water where Hiiro caught it and walked it between his hands for a time then offered it back to Duo. They played with the colorful sea slug for a time until their hands inadvertently touched and the animal was forgotten while they slowly twined their hands together. It was the most erotic thing Hiiro had ever experienced, having Duo’s hand slowly twirling around his, their fingers gently touching and lacing together in the cool ocean current. It wasn’t long before the need to take his beautiful companion in his arms and feed the growing fire inside him became more important than the air from his tank and he slipped a strong arm around Duo’s waist pulling him close while he plucked the respirator from his mouth. He grinned when Duo followed suit and happily covered his mouth with his own. The kiss lasted so long they both had to rush back to their air when they broke apart, then Duo’s eyes suddenly flashed a warning. Hiiro turned to see Captain Karl signally them to return to the boat and followed his lover topside. 

“Are you stupid!?” the man growled, jerking Duo completely out of the water and depositing him on the deck. He turned in an attempt to do the same to Hiiro but came up short, finding him much more difficult to manipulate. “You do not endanger your damn lives for the sake of a little hanky panky!” he fumed, hauling Hiiro over the rail when he had pulled himself far enough up that he could. “You know better!” he accused Duo who looked very much like a boy being scolded by his father. “And you!” he rounded on Hiiro. “If you don’t care anymore than to let him drown for a kiss then you can swim your ass back to shore!”

“I’m sorry,” Hiiro offered, at a loss as to how to react. “We weren’t thinking…”

“Damn right you weren’t!” Captain Karl snapped. 

“Karl?” Kitty called from her spot on top of the cabin. 

“What?” he snipped, irritated by the intrusion. 

“Where’re your guests?”

“Oh, shit,” he gasped softly. “You two take a ten minute break and cool off!” he growled before mouthing his respirator and dropping back into the sea. 

“Things a little too hot at the bottom of the sea?” Kitty grinned, thoroughly enjoying the heat on their faces. 

“Sorry,” Hiiro apologized, helping Duo to his feet. 

“I should’ve made sure he couldn’t see,” Duo chuckled. 

“See what?” Tomo inquired, bringing the blush up a notch. 

“Did you finish your math?” Kitty asked tactfully. 

“Aww, mooom,” the boy groaned, but trudged back into the cabin to finish his homework. Chell smiled from the doorway before disappearing as well, leaving them to deal with Kitty alone. 

“He doesn’t mean any harm,” she defended her husband. “He’s just very protective over his eldest son.”

Duo ducked his head at the comment then tossed an empty soda can at her, prompting her to finally go away. 

“She’s right,” he sighed, peeling off his tank. “Karl’s a good guy…”

“I like him,” Hiiro smiled, dropping his tank as well. Duo offered him a grateful smile that reignited Hiiro’s desire for that kiss so he leaned forward and claimed it. 

“Get a room!” came Kitty’s amused voice from above and Hiiro laughed with his lover while they endured yet another scarlet mask, but he stole another kiss anyway. 

They waited another twenty minutes before strapping on their tanks and diving again. This time Hiiro made sure to avoid anything that would prompt another act of stupidity in Karl’s eyes, but being there with Duo was more than enough to make his soul sing. They took some time to catalogue some of the different species of fish and coral, acclimating Hiiro to the local ecology before the tanks ran low and forced them to surface. 

The evening was spent fishing and Kitty cooked the catch of the day on an open grill on the forward deck. They were all tired and full while the sunset raced them to shore when Chell started singing. Kitty soon joined in then Karl and Tomo. The song went around a couple of times before the others began to figure out the words and joined in the chorus. Duo and Hiiro had been fairly discreet around the tourists, but as they neared the dock Duo leaned back into Hiiro’s chest, smiling around the words of the song when Hiiro wrapped his arm around him. It was a tune Hiiro knew, having heard it in a movie or two, but the ancient tune took on new life and meaning while he quietly sang to Duo. 

_O ka halia`loha i hiki mai,  
Ke hone ae nei ku`u manawa.  
O oe no ka`u ipon aloha,  
A lo ko e hana nei._

Duo shivered against him and Hiiro left the rest of the song to the others in favor of gently nurturing the tremor with soft nips to his ear. It was most satisfying to know Duo had understood, Hiiro’s knowledge being limited, but his sharp mind replaying the translation he had seen scrolled along the bottom of the movie screen. 

_Thus sweet memories come back to me  
Brining fresh remembrance of the past  
Dearest one, yes, thou art mine own  
From the true love shall ne’er depart_

There was a strange energy in the air the entire time they docked, but Hiiro was unaware of the other’s knowledge of it. All he could think about was Duo and how much he didn’t want to leave him. The song went round and round in his head. _Aloha oe, aloha oe, until we meet again._ It seemed so wrong to be leaving the next day. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt he would come back even if Duo decided he never wanted to see him again. There was a magic in this place and though he wasn’t blind to the fact that Duo was at the center of this spell, he knew he’d never again be content anywhere else. He’d fallen hard and fast and was hopelessly lost in Duo’s violet eyes. Captain Karl made a point of apologizing for his outburst before they left, but Hiiro was so caught up in Duo he barely managed a polite response. Kitty had gone so far as to kiss his cheek, telling him he was welcome to come back anytime, then Hiiro followed Duo down the shadowy dock feeling his gut twist tighter with every step. They paused when they stepped on land, neither certain of their next step and both at a loss as to what to say. 

“Are you working tonight?” Hiiro ventured. 

“No,” Duo replied. “I have to…I have something else I need to do.”

The child. Hiiro sighed, feeling the painful loss creeping up his spine. He couldn’t do it, there was no way he could simply turn around and walk away. Not now, not ever. 

“Can I help?” slipped from his lips before he’d thought it through and he cringed, almost biting his lip at the blunder, but Duo was suddenly looking thoughtful and his heart skipped a beat. “We could rent a move,” Hiiro pressed, not understanding why he hadn’t been immediately refused, but he wasn’t going to back down if there was a chance. 

“I don’t know,” Duo pondered, looking over his shoulder in the direction of his shack. “We wouldn’t be alone,” he explained somewhat nervously. “I promised I’d baby sit.”

Baby sit. Was it still called that if it was your own child? But it didn’t matter, Duo seemed willing to let him come along and that was enough for Hiiro. “Hey,” he smiled. “I’m great with kids.”

Duo snorted, laughing at the silly image he presented in his hopeful, smiling enthusiasm then granted Hiiro’s wish jerking his head sideways while he said, “Come on.”

Holy shit! It was the first thing that popped into Hiiro’s mind. He couldn’t believe it! Duo was going to let him meet his son! It was incredible, a sign of trust and friendship and he had to put great effort into keeping his feet on the ground while they made their way down the beach. Duo led him to his shack where he told him to make himself at home while he went to pick the boy up. Hiiro knew the daycare where Hilde worked was within walking distance, but it still seemed like hours before he heard Duo returning. He laid down the book he’d been pretending to read and girded his loins, wanting more than anything in the world to make a connection with this kid, Duo’s kid, his son. That made him the second most important person on the face of the planet as far as Hiiro was concerned and his stomach did a flip flop when the child bounded into the room. The boy stopped upon seeing him with his squishy ball clutched tightly in his pudgy, little hands and wide, violet eyes staring wondrously into Hiiro’s frightened blue. 

“Solo,” Duo said softly, bending down behind him and wrapping his arms around him. “This is Hiiro.” The boy looked at him then back at Hiiro and stared some more. “Hii…ro,” Duo sounded it out. 

“Heebo,” the boy tried it on, making Duo laugh and restarting Hiiro’s heart. 

“Hi,” he smiled, bending to offer his hand. 

The boy came back to life, promptly plopping his squishy ball into Hiiro’s outstretched hand then jerking it back again before turning his attention to something under the couch. 

“He’s beautiful,” Hiiro grinned, seeing so much of Duo in him he couldn’t help but love him instantly. 

Duo turned a wondrous eye on him and smiled. “Thanks,” he said, clearly not comprehending his highly emotional state. “You want something to drink?”

“Yes, thanks,” Hiiro replied, but his attention was on Solo as his curiosity over what he was after under the couch got the better of him. 

Duo paused while he poured them a glass of milk to wonder over the oddity of seeing his Japanese lover crawl down on the floor and dig under the couch with the boy. When he returned Hiiro had helped him extract two pencils, a quarter and a broken spork that might have been under there since Pearl Harbor. 

“You are so odd,” he chuckled, handing Hiiro a glass and Solo a sippy cup. 

The child accepted the drink then crawled into Duo’s lap and sucked at it. 

“How old is he?” Hiiro asked. 

“He’ll be two next month,” Duo replied, kissing Solo’s chestnut head. 

Hiiro’s heart warmed at the sight of them and suddenly he saw himself attending school plays and shopping for toys at Christmas. 

“What?” Duo chuckled, apparently unnerved by the intensity of Hiiro’s gaze. 

The dream melted suddenly when Solo decided to practice his limited vocabulary and began to recite ‘ma ma…ma ma’ over and over again. Duo took the cup from his hands before he spilled it in his exuberance and set it aside. 

“The laptop is online,” he informed his guest, lifting the child as he stood. “You want to find us a movie or something while I give him his bath? I have NetFlix. Just pick out what you want to see.”

“All right,” Hiiro agreed, going to the small table while Duo took Solo into the bathroom. Guilt flashed red in his face when he remembered how they’d broken the showerhead, but Duo was running a bath so he sighed and made a mental note to buy him a new one before he left. 

The icons on Duo’s desktop revealed some tiny bit of information. There were the usual browser links, something he recognized as a satellite music source and a link to the local weather and tide information, but it was the curious presence of desktop icons for local human resource offices and one that read ‘InfoSource’ that piqued his curiosity. Fighting the urge to peruse Duo’s personal files he quickly picked out a movie queuing it up and wondering if he had time to run to the curb market down the street for snacks when his cell phone rang startling him so badly he jumped two feet off the ground. He’d completely forgotten the rest of the world and didn’t much care for the intrusion. 

“Hi, Trowa.”

“Hey,” his friend replied. “Where have you been? We’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon.”

“Sorry, I decided to take a dive trip out to one of the reefs.”

“Oh,” Trowa chuckled. “Well, that explains it.”

“What?” Hiiro inquired curiously. 

“Wufei thought maybe you’d jumped ship so he wouldn’t kill you.”

“Why would he kill me?” Hiiro chuckled. 

“Might have something to do with that aristocrat that’s been chasing him around all day,” Trowa laughed. 

Hiiro burst out laughing, causing Duo to peek out of the bathroom for a moment. “He actually came to the hotel?”

“Knocked right on our door,” Trowa confirmed. “Did you know he’s got the hots for Wufei?”

“I had a feeling,” Hiiro snickered. “Is my life in danger?” he asked, curious as to Wufei’s actual state of mind. 

“I’ve never seen him turn that color before,” Trowa replied. 

“Is that good or bad?” 

“Depends on what happens after dinner I guess,” Trowa replied. “Treize invited us all to dine with him for our last night. Can you join us?”

Hiiro looked to the bathroom door where he could see just the lower half of Duo’s body where he knelt by the tub while Solo’s happy cries and splashing filled the air. “Sorry,” he smiled. “I’m already committed, but keep me informed. I want to know how this pans out.”

“Are you all right?” Trowa asked on a more serious note. 

Hiiro took a moment to consider what his friends might be dealing with if things didn’t go like he wanted them to, then took a deep breath and concluded, “Yeah.”

“Hold still,” Duo was saying while he attempted to dry Solo off with a thread bare towel, but the boy broke loose, giggling madly while he raced into the room and dove right into Hiiro’s lap. 

He laughed as he caught him and let him burrow down until all that was visible was his brightly shining, violet eyes. Duo stepped out of the bathroom, soaked all the way down his front with stray hairs poking out from around his ears and a look of long suffering patience tattooed on his face. Hiiro hunkered down, pretending to hide with Solo while Duo approached then Solo suddenly sprang trying to make a break for it, but Duo snatched him up and laid a loud raspberry on his stomach, making him laugh and squeal so loud Hiiro was sure the paint would peel. Things settled once he was dried and clothed and Duo produced crackers, cheese and an apple from within his small cooling unit, laying them out on a paper towel for Solo to munch on while they watched the show. 

“Lilo and Stitch?” Duo chuckled when he went to start the movie. 

Hiiro grinned unabashedly, utterly confident in his choice and was mightily pleased when Duo curled up by his side and tucked himself under his arm. He wondered when Hilde might show up, but as long as Duo wasn’t worried about it he was content to enjoy the moment. Solo fell asleep long before the end of the movie, but they watched the rest of it anyway. Hiiro didn’t regularly watch this type of show, but wondered why every time Duo laughed. The audio program automatically kicked on when the show was over, filling the silence with a relaxing mix of soft jazz and ambient alternative that Hiiro found most appealing, making it impossible to resist stealing a kiss. He was acutely aware of the child sleeping just five feet away on a pallet of blankets and pillows and made sure to keep the affection warm but light, his mouth gliding slowly over Duo’s willing lips, tongues rotating lazily while hands caressed and brushed lightly over a simmering flame. 

“Damn,” Duo sighed, having to pull away to collect himself. “I can’t believe the things you make me want,” he chuckled, turning up to claim another slow kiss. 

“I’d give you anything,” Hiiro promised, praying he had the will to give him up if that was what he asked. 

“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep,” Duo whispered. 

“I can try,” Hiiro breathed, feeling the heat build. He was just about to pull away and regroup before things got carried away when there was a soft knock on the door. 

“I’ll be right back,” Duo whispered, extracting himself. 

Hiiro watched incomprehensively while he gathered the sleeping child in his arms and walked outside. It seemed so wrong, he felt as if someone were taking his child away and felt the urge to go retrieve him, but the truth was Hilde was his mother and Duo was doing his best to do right by her. There was some satisfaction in the confirmation that she didn’t live in the shack with Duo, but it didn’t help ease his mind all that much considering his place in the situation. He wanted so badly to stay by Duo’s side, but how could he live with it if he were the cause of his separation from his son? Duo soon returned, turning off his thoughts of the future in favor of dealing with the present and he smiled when he locked the door and returned to his side. 

“Mmmm,” he moaned deliciously while he pressed himself invitingly against Hiiro’s body in a sizzling kiss. 

The evening’s slow titillation came quickly to a head in the absence of the child, but Hiiro needed to know. “What about her?” he asked, hating himself when Duo stilled and pulled away. 

The pain was clear to see in Duo’s eyes revealing pure, raw emotion as his soul was stripped bare and Hiiro’s heart shattered upon his desperate plea. “Please,” he begged. “Forget about her.”

“Won’t she…”

“I can handle Hilde,” Duo whispered, working on removing Hiiro’s shirt. “But you’re leaving tomorrow,” he reasoned, leaning down to suckle a nipple and Hiiro hissed, arching back with the pleasure of his touch. Duo lapped for a moment, pressing his hips firmly into Hiiro’s swollen crotch before breathing on a heated thread, “All we have is tonight,” and chasing all thought from Hiiro’s mind with the fire of his kiss. 

That’s right, this was all they had. One more night and Duo would return to his normal life. A life that didn’t include Hiiro, but as he turned them over and embedded himself deep inside Duo’s willing heat he swore that somehow he would find a way. It didn’t matter if it was tonight, next week or two years down the road, he knew he couldn’t live without the promise of seeing Duo’s smile. He wanted him to understand, needed him to know the depth of his feelings and poured everything that he was into him that night. He held on tight, willing time to stand still, but when he opened his eyes in the morning light his heart wept for the dawn. Time had betrayed him and Duo was gone.

With a heavy heart Hiiro gathered the shattered pieces of his world and made his way back to the hotel. Check out wasn’t until two, but the girl behind the counter waved him over, presenting him with an envelope before he rode the elevator upstairs. The world seemed so dull and devoid of color as he made his way down the hall. Once inside his room he dropped onto his bed and opened the letter. It was from Dr. Willmont detailing the job offer she had assured him would come, offering a lucrative salary and the life he’d worked so hard to achieve, but it all seemed so useless. He flopped back onto the bed, letting the letter crumble in his hand, knowing he would accept and return after graduation, but would Duo even still speak to him when he did? He had to, he just had to. Hiiro couldn’t let himself believe anything less and pulled himself up, heading for the shower. He felt somewhat refreshed once he was clean, but packing was a difficult task as each item represented a step father away from where Duo was. His resolve wavered when he took up his bag and tears stung at the backs of his eyes, but he forced his feet to honor Duo’s choice and walked through the door to find Wufei stumbling out of his room. 

“Hiiro?” he rasped and his left brow rose at the rumpled look of him. “I didn’t know you were here,” Wufei commented, pulling his bedroom door closed. 

“I just got back a little while ago,” Hiiro explained. 

“Oh,” Wufei nodded, spying his bag. “Packed already?”

“It’s after eleven.”

“Already?” 

“Wufei?”

Hiiro’s mouth curled upwards in spite of his problems upon hearing Treize’s voice resonating from within the room and Wufei’s entire head flushed crimson while he shifted from one foot to another. “Treize,” he confirmed awkwardly. 

Hiiro nodded, “I take it this means the wedding has been called off?”

“Father’s furious,” Wufei chuckled. 

“Are you all right?” Hiiro asked, sobering his friend. 

“Yeah,” Wufei nodded, looking as if the weight of the world had been suddenly lifted from his shoulders. “I think I am.”

“Who are you talking…?” Treize asked, coming out of the bedroom in a bathrobe, but his words stalled upon seeing Hiiro. “Good morning,” he smiled, greedily wrapping his arms around the elegant Chinese boy’s waist. 

“Morning,” Hiiro smiled. 

The door to Trowa’s room opened, spilling a toe headed Quatre into the room and Hiiro’s heart did a back flip being confronted with some, small part of Duo’s life. Trowa quickly followed, smiling for a moment before creasing a brow at Hiiro. 

“Hey,” he called when he wavered. “Hiiro?” he gasped when he suddenly crumbled and his bag dropped from his hand as he tumbled to his knees, just barely keeping himself from going face first into the carpet. 

“Are you okay!?” Wufei asked, rushing to his side. “What happened?”

“I…haven’t slept much,” Hiiro replied, grateful for Wufei’s steady hand while his world continued to spin. 

“You should learn moderation,” Wufei chuckled, helping him to a chair. “I mean, Duo’s hot but you have to think of your health.”

“Duo?” Quatre echoed, clapping a hand to his mouth belatedly. 

Trowa sighed, having had enough of the mysterious behavior and finally asked, “What? Why do you always act like that whenever anyone mentions Duo?”

“I…well, it’s nothing. I mean everyone else does it.”

“Does what?” Wufei persisted. 

“We’ve been having an affair,” Hiiro clarified. 

“An affair?” Trowa questioned. “You mean he’s married?”

“Who? Duo?” Quatre gasped. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Hiiro sighed, closing his eyes on the world. 

“That’s cold,” Quatre snipped.

“I’m not the one who ran away,” Hiiro grumbled. 

“You mean he used you and just disappeared?” Trowa surmised with growing anger. 

“Duo isn’t like that,” Quatre snapped. 

“Then explain this!” Trowa demanded, pointed an accusing finger at Hiiro. “What? He uses guests as play toys then runs back to his wife!?”

“What in the hell are you talking about?!” Quatre fumed. “Whoever said he was married?!”

“He’s not?” Hiiro asked, sitting up with renewed interest. 

“Hell, no!” Quatre snapped. “And you’re a son of a bitch for using such nasty lies to justify yourself!” 

“But, what about Solo?” 

Quatre went pale at the mention of the child’s name and Trowa nearly blew a fuse. 

“Who…is Solo?” he asked in an even tone. 

“Duo’s son,” Hiiro sighed dejectedly. 

“What?!” Quatre gasped. “Who told you that?” 

Hiiro felt his world tilt again. “Solo…isn’t his son?”

“No,” Quatre sighed while the anger quickly bled away. 

“Quatre,” Trowa soothed, taking him by the shoulders and guiding him to a chair. “Please, explain what in the hell is going on.”

“How should I know?” Quatre grumbled. “He’s obviously misinformed.”

“Sum it up for us,” Wufei prompted. 

“Well,” Quatre began. “Duo is most certainly not married. I can’t imagine where you got that idea, he’s barely seventeen. He hasn’t even finished high school yet, but that’s mostly because of Hilde.”

“Who is Hilde?”

“Duo’s wife,” Hiiro commented, reiterating his suspicion and Quatre balked. 

“That would not only never happen, it would be illegal,” he stated firmly. “Hilde is Duo’s sister.”

His sister. Not his girlfriend or his wife. His sister. 

“What about this kid?” Trowa asked. “Solo?”

“Solo is Hilde’s son,” Quatre explained. “She made a mistake when she was fifteen and Solo was the result. Duo had to quit school so he could work to support them.”

“That’s why he lives in that little shack,” Hiiro concluded, unable to stop the gears in his head from turning it over and over again. Hilde was his sister, Solo was his nephew, that’s why they looked so much alike. 

“You’ve been to his place?” Quatre inquired, accepting Hiiro’s nod before moving on. “Yes,” he confirmed. “It belongs to the hotel so as long as he works here the management lets him stay there rent free. He can only afford a one bedroom apartment for Hilde and Solo. It’s not big enough for them all.”

“But Hilde works, too,” Hiiro commented, needing more information.

Quatre eyed him as if trying to assess how deeply he had gotten into Duo’s life before he nodded. “Yes, but she barely makes enough to pay the electric. You might have noticed the cost of living here is very high.”

It was true; everything had to be imported in the islands, making even a simple thing like a soda outrageously expensive. 

“What about his experiments?” Hiiro pressed on. 

Quatre flushed, seeming reluctant to reveal more, but Duo’s honor was at stake. “He sells the data online,” he revealed. “Hilde is a teenage mother and he won’t be of legal age for another six months. He uses the money to pay off the social worker who’s been threatening to put Solo into foster care.”

“They can do that?” Hiiro growled, feeling every hackle of his and his ancestors necks stand on end. 

“They don’t have any parents to protect them,” Quatre confirmed. “But as long as Duo keeps making the payments the paperwork won’t get filed.”

“That’s extortion,” Wufei snipped. 

“Indeed,” Treize nodded, adding with a lethal smile. “Might you know the name of this individual?”

“No,” Quatre stated firmly. “I’ve said too much already. That’s Duo’s business, but I assure you he’s not the type to have torrid affairs.” His eyes turned to Trowa pleadingly. “I don’t know why he did this; really, he’s never done anything like this before.”

Hiiro felt his heart stutter when it all suddenly clicked into place. It was like someone popped the cork on a well spring of bubbling emotions, all of which were screaming for him to find Duo and set things right. 

“Wufei,” he barked, snapping to his feet. “How fast can you file for emancipation?”

“Consider it done,” Wufei smiled, already reaching for his phone. 

“I believe a look into the financial affairs of the local governmental social workers is in order,” Treize stated smoothly, heading for Wufei’s bedroom where his clothes and cell phone would be. 

“Wait,” Quatre protested weakly. “Can they do that?” he asked when Trowa smiled and took him by the hand.

“Get used to it,” he chuckled. “We can do just about anything when we put out minds to it.” 

“Quatre,” Hiiro smiled as his blue eyes brimmed over while he took his hand and kissed it. “Thank you. You have no idea…thank you,” he said again as the joy stripped his good judgment away and he took Quatre’s head in his hands and kissed him smack on the lips. 

“Hiiro?” Trowa gasped so Hiiro kissed him too. 

“I have to find Duo,” he grinned, nabbing his cell as he headed for the door. 

“What was that about?” Quatre chuckled, going red from head to toe. 

“I do believe,” Trowa smiled, wrapping a possessive arm around him. “Our Hiiro is in love.”

“Really?” Quatre asked in wide eyed wonder while his lips spread into a wide smile. 

** 

Hiiro rushed back to the little shack on the beach as fast as his feet would carry him, but Duo wasn’t there. Desperate to find him he made a beeline straight for the daycare where Hilde worked. His heart raced when he saw her on the playground with Solo and several other children, but he had enough mind not to rush in and frighten her. She cocked her head when she saw him, carefully checking the children before joining him at the fence. 

“You’re Duo’s friend,” she commented, eyeing him suspiciously. 

“I hope to be much more than that,” he confessed, delighting in her confusion. “Do you know where he is?” 

“Why?” she asked warily. 

“Because I’m in love with him,” he sang. “Is he collecting samples?” She smiled at his exuberance in spite of her obvious concern, but was not forth coming with any information. “Please,” he begged in a last ditch effort to appeal to her. 

“Do you know who I am?” she asked. 

“Yes,” he replied quickly. “And I know that’s Solo, your son,” he added, pointing the child out. 

“Then you should understand Duo is very serious about looking after his nephew,” she informed him. 

“Of course he is,” Hiiro snorted. “He’s a beautiful child. Did he go with Captain Karl?”

She beamed another wondrous smile and happily revealed, “He’s at Koahai’s practicing for next week’s luau.”

“Where?” Hiiro asked impatiently. 

“Down the road and left,” she chuckled at his infectious jubilation. Hiiro was already in motion when she shouted, “The tiki hut at the end of the road! You can’t miss it!”

“Thanks!” he called back, sprinting into a full out run until the hut came into view and the world seemed to suddenly fade away. He slowed, not wanting to alarm Duo and caught his breath before stepping into the open air hut where Duo was working on the choreography for a new fire dance with his large Hawaiian partner. 

“Hiiro?” Duo gasped, dropping the sleeping torch in his hand. 

The big man at his side glared angrily, stepping up to his side protectively, but Hiiro didn’t care. 

“Duo,” Koahai evenly intoned. “If this guy’s bothering you…”

“No,” Duo sighed. “It’s okay. Just give me a minute.”

Hiiro waited until he had exited before coming any closer, but the first words out of his mouth were, “I love you.” Duo’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully then Hiiro’s heart stopped when they glazed over. “Hey,” Hiiro soothed, going to his side as his mind was unable to comprehend why his confession would make him cry. “What’s wrong? Don’t you understand? I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Duo sniffed, holding back his grief admirably. 

“You mean Hilde?” Hiiro smiled, running his thumb along Duo’s moist cheek while he stared silently into his eyes. “I know about your sister,” Hiiro explained gently. “And Solo,” he added when Duo’s jaw dropped as if to speak again. “I love you,” Hiiro repeated, daring to claim a small kiss before Duo suddenly pulled away. 

“I won’t abandon them,” he stated firmly, refusing to let the tears fall. 

Hiiro marveled at his self control, thinking if he had been in Duo’s situation there wouldn’t be a dry tissue on the entire island. What incredible fortitude he displayed coping with it all by himself, for so long, all alone. 

“I should hope not,” Hiiro smiled, moving in again. 

“You’re okay with that?” Duo wondered, too stunned to run when Hiiro kissed the corner of his mouth. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Really?” 

Something wasn’t right. “Has somebody hurt you?” Hiiro asked, taking a step back.

Duo sighed, turning to gather a towel for his damp brow before plopping on the floor by a wall and confessing. “It’s all my fault.”

“I don’t understand,” Hiiro confessed, taking a seat beside him. 

“The guy that knocked Hilde up,” Duo went on. “He was my boyfriend. I’ve looked after my sister since our parents died.” Hiiro nodded for him to go on while keeping his eyes devoid of any predetermined assumptions. “He gave me an ultimatum,” Duo explained. “Him or Hilde. I guess he was pissed when I chose her so he got her drunk and seduced her. After that it seemed like anyone that showed an interest ended up with the same speech. Loose the girl and the kid. They didn’t want to deal with the responsibility.” Duo paused to assess Hiiro’s reaction, but there was nothing but warm support in his deep, blue eyes. Taking a deep breath he pressed on, “Then when you came along,” Hiiro’s pulse fluttered when his eyes dropped to his lips and back up again, “I just wanted something,” Duo sighed. “But you were only going to be here for a week. Still, I couldn’t stay away. Not even after I heard you say it was just a game.”

“When did I say that?” Hiiro balked. 

“To Wufei,” Duo sniffed, wiping his nose. “Went something like, ‘as long as you get off it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or a boy’.”

Hiiro thought back and his eyes widened when he recalled the conversation. “You heard that?” he groaned and Duo nodded. “I didn’t mean that,” Hiiro explained. “I’d never told anyone I was gay before and Wufei was razing me about it. I heard you and Quatre talking that first morning,” he confessed, bringing horrified comprehension to Duo’s eyes. “I was upset and angry, but I didn’t mean what I said. I wanted to die when I thought you didn’t care.”

Duo laughed wryly. “We are so totally screwed up,” he declared, allowing Hiiro to extract a small kiss before leaning against the wall again. “It’s still not that easy,” he surmised. “You’re still leaving.”

“I’ve decided to take that job at Colonial.”

“You’re coming back?” Duo eyed him thoughtfully. 

“I’m not leaving,” Hiiro replied. “I’ll transfer and get the rest of the credits I need here. I can’t leave you,” he explained. 

Duo stared in wonder for a moment before shaking off the daze. “It’s not like I can spend a lot of time doing the bump and grind,” he argued. “You should know what you’re getting yourself into. My time is pretty much nil for the most part.”

“You won’t have to try so hard anymore,” Hiiro smiled.

Duo eyed him warily. “I have obligations…”

“By five o’clock today you and Hilde will become emancipated minors,” Hiiro informed him, causing him to start and sit up straight. “Wufei is a lawyer, you know?” Hiiro grinned. “You won’t be making anymore payments to crooked social workers either,” he added, revealing, “He also has a heavyweight lover who’s none too happy about the current state of government affairs around here.”

“Where in the hell do you get your information?” Duo exclaimed. 

“Quatre.”

“That son of a …” 

“He was defending your honor,” Hiiro explained, adding while the anger dimmed in Duo’s eyes, “Besides, if he hadn’t come clean I might have been on a plane back to the mainland by now.”

“You’d be better off,” Duo sighed, rubbing at tired eyes. 

Hiiro moved in quickly and kissed him, drawing him in until they were both breathless and dizzy before he stated with utmost conviction, “There is nothing good without you.”

“I have my nephew…”

“Can’t I be his uncle too?”

“You’re serious,” Duo gasped softly while he gazed into Hiiro’s determined eyes. 

“I love you,” Hiiro proclaimed, kissing him again. “Please, we can do this. You and I.”

Hiiro watched while the small light that had been burning in the depths of Duo’s eyes flickered and came to life, it’s intensity growing and swelling until he felt as if he’d been absorbed and reborn when Duo smiled and replied, “All right. Let’s give it a try.”

Wufei remained true to his word, using Treize’s considerable influence to expedite the emancipation request. Duo and Hilde were declared adults before the end of the day and a certain social worker with no explanation as to the source of his considerable secondary income had had his assets frozen pending a full investigation. Hiiro and Duo returned to the hotel to find that Quatre had booked the top floor penthouses for the following month, insisting Duo move from his shack and live with them at the hotel until he and Hiiro could find suitable housing. Hilde and Solo were also invited and with Treize’s presence the entire resort seemed to become mysteriously devoid of young, available women. Duo insisted on inviting Captain Karl and his family to spend a weekend with them, taking over the pool area for a private luau where he displayed his and Koahai’s new fire dance with gusto. It was all so much like some wonderful dream come true Hiiro could hardly believe it was real until the night fell and he found Duo once again cradled in his arms and everything was all at once right with the world. 

“Chell’s good with Solo,” Hiiro commented, running his finger down Duo’s damp throat while he watched his pulse slow and his heavy breath even out. “Maybe we should offer her a baby sitting job.”

Duo chuckled, unwilling to relinquish the post coital bliss that was saturating his brain. “Now you’re raising Captain Karl’s kids too?” he smiled, rolling over into Hiiro’s waiting arms. 

“I like being a part of a family,” Hiiro smiled, tucking him close. 

“Mmm,” Duo groaned happily offering a playful, “Papa Yui,” before kissing his lover’s smiling mouth. 

“That could work,” Hiiro laughed then deepened the kiss until Duo whimpered deliciously, prompting him to suggest, “Maybe we could have one of our own,” while he pushed him back onto the damp sheets. 

“I think you’re going to be sorely disappointed,” Duo chuckled, letting him lick and nip at his chest, his breath hissing inward when he found a nipple to suckle. 

“Never hurts to try,” Hiiro grinned, pushing between his thighs. 

“Try to your hearts content,” Duo smiled while his legs dropped open. 

“I’ll never get enough of you,” Hiiro warned, laying his body atop him, his cock knowingly finding its way without guidance and Duo arched back deliciously when he slowly impaled him. 

“Then don’t ever stop,” Duo breathed, drawing him down where his mouth hungrily fed upon Hiiro’s building passion. 

He settled himself in his heat, Duo’s beauty, integrity and light saturating his soul until he felt as if his heart would burst with joy, but it was always like this. An endless dream of euphoric rapture broken only by the wonderful days spent in his lover’s delightful company. He had come to the islands on a reluctant holiday and somehow discovered the meaning of life. It all seemed so clear as he took Duo with him into nirvana again. It had been there all along, his purpose was crystal clear and shimmering in the light of Duo’s loving, violet eyes. 

owari :)

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


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